


Taking No Crap from Nobody

by GC4life



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Basically anything not covered in The Sawada Family Takes No Crap from Nobody story, Missing Scenes, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2020-09-23 02:24:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GC4life/pseuds/GC4life
Summary: Missing moments from the story "The Sawada Family Takes No Crap from Nobody". Requests totally open and welcome!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In the main story, I'm at the point where I want to rewatch and re-read to original enough to make sure I have everything I want and need but I am failing in finding time to do so. So! As I find time to do that I will be adding missing moments I already have internally completed to expand the story and provide content. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see such as flashbacks, extended moments between characters, basically anything that might have or has been hinted at happening in the main story. Or just give me crazy crap to work with. This also works for relationships you want to see. I'll always mention at the top of each chapter if what's happening is a 'this for realz happened' or 'this is a test to see the possibilities and to gift your blessed little reader heart' so don't hold back!  
This one is a for realz moment where Nana first realizes that puberty is a bitch. It's super short but the moment has been strong in my mind. Hope you enjoy!

“Oh shit,” Nana choked, fingers curling across their jaw like a bear trap. “Oh shit, shit, shit. Oh my god.”

Their elbows dug into their side when they curled inwards even tighter. They had been prepared for this. They knew this was coming years in advance and they had long since come to terms with it. This wasn’t supposed to be a problem.

Tears pooled down Nana’s cheeks as they tried, falteringly, to breath deep. All they could manage was shallow, quick little gasps that always stuck against their throat like a steel security door had been installed and there was no password to get through.

“This is fine,” Nana clenched their eyes shut, desperate. “This is normal. This is fine. This is supposed to happen. It’s a good thing. Fuck. Damn it.”

A knock on the bathroom door made them jolt. They inhaled too fast, choking on the air while their heart jackhammered against their chest in a desperate bid for escape.

“Nana?” the soft voice of their roommate called worriedly. “I heard… are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine!” they called back. Nana winced. Even to their own ears, their voice was thin and strained. 

Scared.

Lavina didn’t respond. After a full minute passed Nana wondered if she had left.

“Did it start today?”

Nana sobbed, hands muffling the sound but not enough.

“It’s okay,” Lavina soothed. Nana could envision her placing her hand over the wood like the comforting touch would somehow reach them if she believed hard enough. “Are you in pain right now?”

Nana exhaled, shaky breath hitting shaky fingers. “A-a little. Not much.”

“That’s good,” Lavina encouraged. “I have some medicine in the cabinet if you want it. It should only take a few minutes to start working. I’m going to get your night clothes ready, okay? When you feel up to it why don’t you hop in the shower?”

“O-okay,” the swallowed. “I can do that.”

“You’re doing wonderfully Nana,” Lavina cheered softly. Always so softly. “I have some pads under the sink you can use. Do you know how to put them on?”

“Uh-huh,” Nana nodded. Goosebumps covered their skin, but it was easier to distract themselves with someone else to talk to.

“Alright. Leave the door unlocked and I’ll come put your clothes by the sink once I hear the shower start.”

“Okay.” Nana’s voice was barely above a whisper but Lavina must have heard them anyway. As they focused on calming down enough to move the sweet melody of the electric piano they had in their bedroom drifted through the walls.

It was Nana’s favorite song.

Lavina played the entire time Nana was in the bathroom, only pausing to deliver their clothes when the sounds of the shower started. She made sure the volume was loud enough to be heard over the spray of water. 

When the shower turned off she waited until the door clicked open before rising to her feet. Nana looked up at her, pale and still a little shaky. Lavina had made sure to grab their most comfortable pair of sweats but the sweater they were wearing was one of hers. It was very soft, and big enough to let them feel like they could hide away if they wanted to.

“I brought back dinner,” Lavina smiled warmly, gliding over to the little table they used in the eating area. Their room wasn’t as lavish and large as some of the other girls, with only the bedroom, small dining room, bathroom, and hallway to connect it all but it was still very nice. 

“Thanks,” Nana whispered, moving towards the chair closest to them. 

Lavina scooped up the little take away containers the cafeteria provided and moved back to their bedroom. Nana followed curiously.

Setting the food on the dresser Lavina set to work on Nana’s bed. Soon enough the blanket and pillows were piled up into the corner in a nice little cocoon. Lavina held the end of the blanket, leaving a nice opening, and stepped back a bit so Nana could crawl in.

Nana blinked, long and slow, before huddling into the bundle. Lavina curled the blanket across their lap and settled their food into their hands. With a quick flick of her wrists, she pulled her own blanket and pillow off her bed and laid them out next to Nana. Snagging Nana’s laptop off their desk she grabbed her own food and settled in next to her friend. 

“...What are we watching?” Nana wondered as she typed away.

“Professoressa Alessi said there would be a lunar eclipse next week. There are all kinds of things you can do for good luck and blessings. Beatrice told me about this documentary and I thought we could learn some of the more modern practices.”

“I’m not dancing naked under the moonlight Lavina.”

“Not naked,” she rolled her eyes. “Especially not so close to the city. Don’t be ridiculous Nana. We should dance though. Some believe full eclipses like this one are actually battles between the sun and the moon. Certain dances and songs are a way to bring peace to the sky and set everything back to normal.”

“Huh,” Nana settled back, flicking open the container and humming at the warm steam it released into their face. “Would your divinations work better or worse?”

“It depends on what the focus is. We should finish the year with perfect grades though.”

“I don’t think praying and giving thanks to the moon are going to magically make us know the test answers.”

“Of course not. But we will be guided to the knowledge we need, and that will teach us everything we need to know.”

“Sure.”

“You’ll see,” Lavina promised, finally finding the documentary she wanted. “Do you need anything before I start it?”

Nana scooted over a bit, opening the blanket so Lavina could use the pillows as well instead of just the one she had grabbed for herself. Once she was happily pressed up against their side Nana rested their head on her shoulder. 

“I’m good.”

Lavina hit play, eyes wide with wonder. Nana smiled, lips pressed tightly together to stop themselves from crying again. They fell asleep first, head going fully limp. Lavina waited until the documentary was done before closing the laptop and carefully maneuvering Nana around so they were laying down in their cushion fort. Throwing away their empty containers and making sure everything was put back into place she quietly fetched the book from her backpack she had checked out from the library just earlier that day. It was a small book, only a handful of chapters, but it explained what to expect when getting your first period and things you can do to make the sudden change more manageable and comfortable. She had been drawn to it earlier when looking for books about the eclipse, and now she was glad she had followed her gut feeling. Setting the book at the head of the bed next to Nana’s pillow she got ready to sleep herself. 

“Goodnight Nana,” she whispered, curling up happily on her side.

Nana grumbled something back in their sleep.

Lavina giggled and reached out to turn off the light. She would need to teach Nana the dances, but she could wait a few days for that. She’d focus on Sofia first. Nana was a fast learner, but Sofia could have two left feet sometimes. 

Lavina fell asleep with her friends dancing through her head. Nana’s sleep was dreamless.

Both woke up with a smile on their face.


	2. One Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A for realz moment! In chapter 9 of "The Sawada Family Takes No Crap from Nobody" Lavina mentions Nana getting a letter and some money from some random kids. Here's why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is French spoken in this chapter. My references were Google translate and super vague lessons from school. Feel free to correct me anywhere I mess up, either in spelling or grammatical structure.

Nana jolted awake with a grunt. Slapping around for his phone he nearly knocked it off his nightstand.

_ “Who would be calling at this hour?”  _ Snake sounded disgruntled.

Nana blinked slowly, hitting the answer button and filing away the fact that Snake being grumpy about people calling late must mean that he did actually sleep at some point.

Huh.

“Hello?” Nana’s voice cracked, words followed by a jaw-breaking yawn.

“Bonjour, est-ce Madame Nana Sawada?”

Nana squinted, looking around the room like the furniture would suddenly speak up to translate for him. “...What?”

“Est-ce Madame Nana Sawada? C’est le Hopital Necker,” the woman said slowly.

God, it had been forever since he had to translate French, let alone speak it.

“Uh, hospital?” Nana rubbed at his eyes. “Oui, c’est Nana.”

The woman kept her voice steady as she explained to Nana that their son had been admitted into the hospital due to a high fever and his friends, who had been with him when he was admitted, were the ones to give Nana’s phone number.

“...My son.”

“Oui, petite Tony.”

Tony? Who the fuck-

“Oh my god,” Nana flung himself from his bed. He forced his tongue to rattle off the best French he could. “Tony? Are there three other boys with him? Are they okay?”

“Yes, his young friends were the ones to bring him in. They said they were having a sleepover and they were worried when his fever got worse,” the woman explained, her voice soothing.

“A sleepover,” Nana rushed down the stairs as quietly as he could. “Yes, they were over at my… sister’s house. Is Tony alright?”

“He is doing just fine, his temperature dropped back down just a few moments ago. He is still running a fever but so long as he gets rest and fluids he should be okay. We want to give him an IV to help the process but we would need your permission first.”

Nana wanted to shout ‘yes, for the love of God, whatever they need’ but he bit the inside of his lip instead. Needles were most definitely a sore spot for those kids.

“Is there any way I can talk to one of the boys first? I’m sorry, I’m just panicking a little bit. I’m on a trip out of town and my sister was supposed to be watching them.”

“It is no trouble,” she agreed. “Tony is doing well, there is no rush at the moment. I’m going to put you on hold and go fetch them.”

“Thank you,” Nana breathed. Soft piano music started to play over the phone. He took the chance to peek in on Tsuna in case his stumblings had woken him up. Lavina wouldn’t wake up if a bomb went off, not with her new meds, but Tsuna had always been a light sleeper.

The seven-year-old was pushed clear to the wall, face smooshed against it with his blankets kicked down to his feet. Tucking his phone between his shoulder and jaw Nana lifted the blankets to cover him better and snuck back out.

“Tony’s sick.”

Nana jumped when the line suddenly clicked and a young voice spoke sharply from the other end. 

It was a little harder to tell, now that they had grown, but there was still a clear lisp in the boy’s voice.

“I heard,” Nana said softly, mimicking the soothing tone of the woman’s before. “How long has he been sick?”

“I… I dunno,” he sounded small. “Few days-byon.”

‘Byon?’ Nana wondered. “It’s okay, they told me that his fever is getting better. They want to put him on an IV but I don’t know if that’s something any of you would be okay with.”

“What’s an eye vee?”

Before Nana could respond there was a soft rustling noise.

“There will be no need for needles.”

Nana shivered, goosebumps racing up and down his arms.

“Mukuro-kun,” he swallowed, harshly stomping his internal reaction of ‘runaway’ until it shut up. “From what they told me Tony won’t need an IV. It would speed up his healing process but as long as his fever stays down he should be okay.”

“Fufu, you seem very eager to help us after so many years.”

That laugh did not belong to a child. And it had only been three years! 

“I promised I would help you if you needed it and I meant it,” Nana said seriously. “I’m sure you can all take care of yourselves well enough but this is a world where you need an adult to do a lot of things.” Like pay medical bills and make sure you don’t die. “Do you still have the card I gave you?”

“I might.”

Oh good. He was as vague as Kouske. That’s what Nana wanted.

“Well if you  _ do _ have it then you can use it to pay for all the treatment Tony has gotten so far and everything he needs until he is better. I told the woman from before that my sister is supposed to be watching you while I’m on a business trip but that excuse will only hold up until morning. Do you have anyone else that can help you?”

“Fufufu, I think your ‘sister’ will help just fine,” the boy sounded even more amused than he had before. 

“...Okay?” Nana frowned. “You said that like it was supposed to mean something to me. I don’t actually have a sister in France. Do you know someone that can pretend to be them?”

“I can make one if need be.”

Nana’s eyes went wide, face pulling down in an awkward frog face. Did he mean… like, Frankensteining up a random lady to play pretend? Or have one of the other boy’s stand on his shoulders under a trench coat and hope no one noticed how off-balance they would be. Cause either way didn’t seem like a very successful plan, not to mention super morally questionable for the human transmutation one.

“I, uh… I don’t think that’s how that works.”

“I’ve done it before.”

Well. Okay then. Nana looked around the kitchen awkwardly, fingers tapping along the counter. He had his wallet nearby in case he needed it but it sounded like the creepy science kid had everything under control.

“Right. If you’re sure then,” Nana trailed off. “You, uh, don’t have to answer if you don’t want to but it seems like you’ve got this all pretty under control. I’m really glad that you reached out to me and all, but it seems kinda… odd that you’d do so after three years. Are you guys really okay? Do you need anything else?”

Mukuro laughed again. “You shouldn’t be so easily controlled, people will take advantage of that.”

The unspoken, ‘I will totally take advantage of that’ was clear in his voice.

“You guys have been through enough shhhhtuff as it is,” Nana curbed his language carefully. Damn, it really didn’t feel like he was talking to a kid. “You don’t need basic human needs to be hard to get, not when that’s something that should be freely offered.”

Mukuro hummed in thought, amusement still strongly in place. “I supposed you have earned a reward.”

‘What am I, a dog?’ Nana scrunched up his nose.

“If you really want to know, the doctors and nurses were getting very pushy about talking to an adult. They were starting to get suspicious and you live far enough away (Nana’s “how do you know where I live?!” went ignored) that should there be any concerns I could easily play it off. This way they stop trying to smother us and I get to test a potential pawn.”

“Friend,” Nana cut that down quick. “A helping hand. My only goals are to help people, not hurt them.”

“Shame,” Mukuro sounded truly regretful. Nana did not feel good about that. “We’ve gotten a potential,” he paused for a meaningful ‘fufu’, “job offer.”

That didn’t sound good.

“The debt to you will be repaid very soon.”

“You don’t have to pay me back for this,” Nana argued. 

“I am not paying back anything,” his voice was a bit sharper. “This is Tony’s debt to pay, and whether you expect anything or not something given is something owed. Split allegiances are a pain so you will be repaid.”

‘What did they  _ do  _ to you,’ Nana thought in despair. ‘How can I even start to help against such deep-seated trauma like that?’

For Mukuro to believe he needed debts and allegiances from even the children he had escaped with to be able to trust them, he must not have a single person in the whole world he trusted to actually care about him.

What a terrifying world to live in.

“I want a letter,” Nana declared.

“Hmm?”

“Or a picture. Anything that will show me that you are all doing okay. Any time you use that card or want my help with something that’s how it can be paid back. The greatest thing you all can give me is the knowledge that you are okay and you are safe.”

He scoffed. “That’s ridiculous.”

“I’m ridiculous,” Nana stated proudly. “And that’s what I want. If you try to pay me back in another way that’s all well and good but I won’t consider it even until I have a letter or a picture if any of you don’t know how to write yet.”

“...”

Nana waited, nerves coiled.

Mukuro laughed. It sounded more maniacal than before, bordering on cheesy villain laugh by the time it tapered off.

“You sell everything for such a cheap price. You are going to die young Nana Sawada.”

‘Already have,’ Nana shrugged internally. He should really be worried how easy it was to brush off a kid telling him he was going to die young but the death threats from Kyoya really desensitized a person to stuff like that. “Then take advantage of it while I’m still around.”

Another, shorter round of fufufu’s filled Nana’s ears. “Very well. Tony will send you your ‘picture’ as well as the rest of his debt. This promises to be amusing. Be sure to keep any information about us to yourself. It would be very disappointing to have to deal with you.”

“What-”

The phone clicked off. Nana pulled it back to double check, and yes. Mukuro had just hung up on him.

“That little shit.”

Closing out of his phone app Nana pulled up his bank info. Refreshing it over and over in the span of a few seconds wasn’t really doing anything besides making him anxious so he started brewing some coffee before checking again.

The account he had kept open but untouched for years was suddenly a little smaller. The bank statement was in French.

_ “This is what people call ‘making a deal with the devil’,”  _ Snake said primly.

“Apparently I’ve made a lot of those,” he grumbled back. “ _ You  _ being the biggest fucking contract holder.”

The coffee maker beeped, signaling it was ready to go. Nana sighed heavily, all the tension and panic draining out of him only to be replaced by sluggish worry.

“I hope those kids are really okay.”

_ “They will be fine.” _

“You sound pretty sure about that.”

_ “They have clearly survived this long already, and without your assistance. I have no doubt they will continue to do so.” _

“I guess,” Nana agreed, feeling only a little bit better. “They still shouldn’t be all by themselves though.”

_ “There is nothing you can do about that. You should move on from that line of thought.” _

Nana rolled his eyes, ignoring Snake for the rest of the morning. Just because he had a point didn’t mean he wasn’t a dick. 

Soon enough Tsuna was up and bouncing around, ready for another day at school. Lavina wouldn’t be up until later in the afternoon but by then she might be energized enough to go outside for a while. Hopefully her new medication would work well this time. 

A few months later Nana got a package in the mail. Lavina peered curiously over their shoulder as Nana pulled out a large stack of bills and a folded piece of paper. Getting over the shock of four small children (or, holy crap, just  _ one  _ of them since Mukuro seemed all gungho about self reliance) being able to earn so much money in such a small amount of time was easier once Nana got a good look at the drawing the money had come with. A smilng boy was sitting in a white bed, the colors wobbling outside of shakily drawn lines. Three other boys were around the bed, smiling as well. 

Nana put it up on the fridge, right next to Tsuna’s picture of the two of them at the park. Hopefully, they would have some more to add to it as the years went on. Maybe one day they would get one from Mukuro himself. One day when he would feel safe enough to trust Nana and ask for help if he needed it. Where he would believe someone cared and all he needed to do in return was draw a silly little picture.

One day.


	3. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A for real moment. This happens after Ryu and Shouto show up but before Lambo arrives. So many of you have asked to see more Nana, Natsuki, Kouske ship stuff so here it is! This has a bunch of stuff I was going to really briefly mention in chapters to come for the main story (because even though this is an extra chapter it is still totally an event that was going to happen just in past-time references) so now you get a more in-depth understanding of future reference stuff and some cute moments between the Hibari couple and Nana. Still not fully settled on pairings but my god are you guys winning me over with this one. It's flippin cute. I'll have to write some stuff for the other requested pairings and see what's what.

“I’m heading out!” Nana called.

“Bye Mom,” Tsuna peered down the stairs to wave.

“Bye Nana! Make safe choices!”

Nana rolled her eyes. “Stop trying to confuse my son Lavina!”

Tsuna looked down the hall towards Lavina’s room before turning back to her. “Aren’t you having dinner with Kyo-kun’s parents?”

“Yup,” Nana nodded, totally not nervous in any way. “They wanted to talk about Kyoya’s progress and stuff.”

‘Stuff’ being mafia related. 

“Good luck,” Tsuna said solemnly.

“Thank you son,” Nana nodded back, shoulders squared. “I don’t know when I’ll be back so don’t wait up okay? There’s food in the fridge you just have to heat it up. Try to eat before Shouto-kun gets back with Ryu-kun, I don't trust him to leave any leftovers.” Nana glanced behind him, towards the hallway, and lowered her voice. “Make sure Lavina takes her medicine okay? I’ll do the nightly check when I get back so keep an eye on her until you go to bed.”

Tsuna nodded, wrinkles of worry appearing around his eyes and mouth.

Lavina’s medicine had been working great up until Hayato's welcoming party. Now it was starting to make her nauseous and Nana was afraid she was starting to lose sense of time. She had really hoped this was the one that stuck, but it was looking like they would have to switch out again. They'd go in tomorrow to see.

Closing the door behind her Nana turned to start walking. She froze at the fancy car in front of the house.

“Good evening Sawada-sama,” the elderly man standing by the back doors of the car bowed respectfully. He was the Hibari family’s main driver and Nana had seen him around often enough.

“Gen-san,” Nana bowed back. “It’s good to see you again! You really didn’t need to pick me up, I don’t mind walking.”

Hido Gen smiled, every wrinkle forming the perfect expression of a warm-hearted grandfather. “It is no trouble Sawada-sama, I am always happy to be of service. The restaurant itself is rather far away, I would hate to make you walk so far when it’s already starting to get late.”

Nana blinked. “...Restaurant? Uh, is dinner not going to be at their house?”

“No,” his eyes twinkled with amusement.

Nana looked down at herself. She was wearing grey capris with paint splotches on them (those things never came out, but Nana thought the look was cute so she didn’t care) and a black tank top with a penguin face on the front. Her grey tennis shoes also looked pretty beat up. Some of the little heart sequins were falling off…

“Am I… dressed right for this restaurant?” she wondered. If this was a place picked out by a Hibari it was probably a crazy high-class place, right? Did she even own anything that would match a place like that?

_“You are rarely dressed well for any outing, so I would assume the answer to be no.”_

If Nana wasn’t in the presence of the nicest old man she had ever met she would flip Snake off and go put on her rainbow, fur-covered boots Tsuna had gotten her for her birthday (Nana had been _delighted _, much to the horror of those around her).

“Ojou-sama and Hibari-dono wished to let you know that your own attire would not be a problem.”

Nana was immediately on guard. Natsuki never seemed to really care what she wore, outside of quick shows of amusement, but Kouske would never let Nana anywhere near him looking like she did now. It was why she chose this outfit in particular for tonight. To bother him.

Gen didn’t let her think on it much. He already had the door open and was waiting for her patiently.

Ugh. That was probably why they sent him. She couldn’t argue with Gen. 

Sliding into the back she fiddled with her fingers as the car pulled away from the curb. Gen put on some music which was nice. 

“This is Lavina’s music,” Nana recognized it immediately.

Gen nodded, skillfully pulling into traffic and heading towards the singular highway that ran near Namimori.

How far was this restaurant?

“Her abilities are a wondrous gift,” Gen turned up the volume a bit. “This particular CD is from her charity concert when she was only seventeen.”

Nana leaned forwards, grinning. “I remember that one, it was hosted by the school! It took us _weeks _to convince the teachers to let us organize everything. They were worried the others would blow something up so we had to have really strict guidelines for everyone to follow. Beatrice was pissed cause she wanted to add this mist and snow effect to one of Lavina’s songs but the principal said no because when she tried to demonstrate everyone in Dorm C got snowed in. Sofia eventually just made a bunch of papercraft snow things, which looked _awesome _, and Beatrice snuck in a bunch of dry ice halfway through as a replacement. Caterina covered for us for once, so everything went great!”

Gen chuckled, the low rumble of his laugh warm. “So that is the story behind the effects. My wife and daughter were enthralled by the event, it is one of our fondest memories.”

“You were there?” Nana wondered.

“Yes, my family and I. Hibari-dono graciously allowed my wife to travel with us to Italy and my daughter was already living in the area so she came to meet us. We all made sure to donate a fair amount to the charity, it was truly wonderful.”

Nana had a sudden, frightening realization. She had been in the back for the entire party, making sure all the setup was ready and the food prep was getting done right. She hadn’t had time to go out and actually meet the guests, but she remembered the girls freaking the fuck out over how attractive some of them were. Some of the girls had fainted, which Nana had teased them for relentlessly, but if it had been Kouske or Natsuki that they had seen…

Well damn, Nana fainted too when she met them. She sent her friends a mental apology for thinking they were being dramatic.

“I don’t know if you kept up with the school those donations were for,” Nana shook the thoughts away quickly, “but the renovations were awesome. Lavina still gets thank you letters from them sometimes. It’s super cute.”

Gen glanced at her from the rearview mirror. “Do you and your friends receive these letters as well?”

“Yeah, sometimes,” Nana shrugged. “We get them from the school staff, who could actually comprehend how an event like that is made you know? Lavina gets all the kid drawings and stuff cause she was our poster lady. And she deserved it! She went all in, it was thanks to her we were able to have it in the first place _and _that it was so successful. Her music is like magic.”

“It truly is,” Gen looked a little whimsical there, turning off on the next exit. “We are almost there.”

“Cool,” Nana leaned back, the nerves returning with a vengeance. Gen didn’t say anything, sending her a knowing look and turning up the volume once again.

The song playing was the one Lavina had made the week before finals during their fifth year. It was peaceful and reminded Nana of a spring day in the woods. Lavina had said it was supposed to draw calmness and success towards them, so she played the song every day until they got their grades back.

They both passed with flying colors.

The car stopped and Nana immediately started sweating. Oh God. She couldn't even see the whole building, because it was built like a _fucking castle. _There were lanterns, and artistically designed topiaries, and mini gardens within big gardens, and people in tuxes, and dresses, with makeup and hair that could put anyone to shame.

The door opened. 

...On the opposite side of the castle looking place.

“Right this way Sawada-sama,” Gen held out his hand to help her out. Nana took it, looking over the top of the car with wide eyes. They were on the other side of the street. “They are waiting for you right through here.”

Nana turned to look at him. Gen was holding the door to an equally pretty, but much smaller building. It had ceiling to floor windows along the whole front, clothes draped elegantly over mannequins posed in them. 

Nana stepped in hesitantly.

“Hello Nana.”

Nana jumped, hopping away from Natsuki when she materialized at her shoulder. 

“N-Natsuki, you’ve got to stop sneaking up on me like that! I’ll have a heart attack one day.”

“One can hope.”

Nana flailed again, this time away from Kouske who was somehow behind her. He nudged her forwards, towards the desk at the other end of the room filled with model-worthy clothes. His nose was crinkled with disgust, looking down at her penguin tank top and capris.

“I thought we were having dinner!” Nana complained, still too stunned to really be fighting the guidance. Damn them for being so beautiful. Kouske’s suit was doing all kinds of things to his shoulders and with his hair combed completely out of his face Nana could see every line of his asshole face. The dark blue dress Natsuki was wearing not only made her look like a god damn queen but it was a lighter blue at the bottom with little bits of silver modestly spread to create the actual beauty of the night sky in physical form. 

“We will,” Natsuki assured her, looping one of her arms through Nana’s and making Nana feel like she should probably just faint right now to save herself the trouble. It didn’t help that Kouske still had a hand pressed against her back, making sure she was moving forward instead of gawking around. “But first, we have a friend we want you to meet.”

With two long strides, Kouske was ahead of them enough to hold the door to the back room open. Natsuki whisked her inside before she could ask _why _they were going into the clearly off-limits room of what had to be the priciest clothing store she had ever seen.

“Fabio,” Kouske called, sounding weirdly irritated.

The man (the _tall ass _man, holy fuck) in the middle of what looked like a wide studio for fabrics of all kinds turned to level Kouske with a look of such exhausted disdain that Nana immediately loved him. He was walking around a short mannequin with a dress that made Nana unsure of what to focus on. The incredibly gorgeous guy messing with it or the actual dress that looked like it had come out of a fricken fairy tale. It was sleeveless, two thin strips of fabric looping from the top of the dress around the neck of the mannequin to hold it up. The top half was a dark orange, slightly cut off from the bottom due to the way the fabric curled to make a type of belt like an infinity dress (and damn Kouske for making her know what that was). The bottom part of the dress was layered with soft-looking, silken fabric. The dark orange faded lighter and lighter until the bottom where it was almost yellow. Like a sunset. There were trails of red and yellow along one side that reminded Nana of fallen leaves. It came up to just above the knees, flowing and looking fancy as heck but still comfortable.

“What, Kouske,” Fabio sounded done with the conversation already.

Anyone who could put that look on Kouske’s face deserved the world. 

“It was _Fading Emerald _.”

Golden eyes did the perfect eye roll. Fabio tossed his long, silky black braid over his shoulder, tweaking the neckline of the dress. “ _You _said Fading Emerald because you are blind. I did not even have to meet your little fairy and I already knew the sunset orange would look better. And now that I see them, I know I was correct.”

Having the lazily narrowed yellow eyes on her made Nana even more aware of how fucking _beautiful _this world was and how miraculous her life was to have been able to sneak into it.

_“You’re staring,” _Snake informed her helpfully.

Damn right she was. This guy was _gorgeous _. Like, Hibari level pretty. He was wearing simple black slacks and an open buttoned suit jacket over a white turtle neck that fit him like a glove. There were three silver hoops on his left ear which contrasted with the dark black of the slim glasses on the bridge of his nose. When he stepped towards them Nana zeroed in on the tiny, barely noticeable but definitely fucking _there _beauty mark under his left eye.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” he slipped off his glasses, hiding them away in the inside pocket of his jacket. Stepping closer (he had legs _for days _) he held out a hand. “My name is Fabio. I have heard quite a bit about you.”

“Uh,” Nana said, like the cultured human being she was. Natsuki patted her arm, making her jolt out of it. “I’mNana. Sawada. Sawada Nana. Just Nana.”

Fabio looked amused (which was a small, mischevious expression that Nana _did not _need to see, thank you!). When Nana tried to shake his hand, jerking at it in a robotic way that made her want to die, he turned it over so he could sweep down and place a kiss on the back of her knuckles.

Nana wasn’t sure what sound she made because of all the blood in her ears, but judging by the soft huff of laughter from not only Natsuki, but_Kouske _too it must have been horribly embarrassing.

Fabio stepped back, hopefully just because he was done with his greeting and not because of the clearly obvious signs that Nana’s brain had melted straight out of her head.

“As much as I would love to hear some of your stories,” Fabio stepped to the side, motioning for them to approach the dress, “I believe your reservation is soon. I do hope you don’t mind the dress. This was originally going to be one of my own, but after hearing Kouske and Natsuki’s request I knew what this dress was _made _for. I also have a suit in the works with similar colors in mind but we thought it would be best if you wore something that showed off your strength.”

Nana must have dazed out because one second she was by the door with Natsuki’s arm wrapped around hers and Kouske’s hand on her back (and damn it, she should really stop focusing on that) and the next she had her arms full of fabric and the door to the dressing room was closed behind her.

“Come out when you are ready and we will see to everything else,” Fabio called.

_Everything else?!_

“Snake,” she whisper shrieked, looking down at the dress like it would bite her (it was so _silky _). 

_“...I am afraid I can offer no advice.”_

“You always have advice! Help me,” she begged.

_“The zipper is on the back. Be prepared, if you are unable to get it yourself one of them will have to help you.”_

Nana was surprised the fire alarm hadn’t gone off from the amount of steam coming off her face.

_“If you really wanted to, I am sure you could leave. I doubt Hibari Natsuki would hold it against you, and you have never cared what Hibari Kouske thought.”_

“I _don’t _care what he thinks,” Nana lied very convincingly. “But I don’t even know what this _is _!”

_“Then perhaps you can go along with it for now, and make your decision after you have asked for their intentions.”_

Nana squeezed her eyes closed, like that would stop what was happening. “Don’t phrase it like that. I’m already nervous.”

_“Like what?”_

“Nothing. Shut up. I’m trying it on.”

The dress slipped on easily. Like a glove. 

Her mind flashed back to the week Kouske was sick. How halfway through he had methodically circled around her with a roll of measuring tape (which was a memory she refused to focus on because before then she hadn’t quite thought through how getting measurements required people to stand fairly _close _to eachother) and then rolled straight into bed before she could ask why he even needed to do that. By the time he had gotten better Nana had forced the memory so far down (it was hard to look him in the eye after that _okay?!) _that she forgot to ask again.

“Snake,” she fell to the ground in despair. The dress floated around her magically, making her feel twice as dramatic and thrice as disbelieving. What was her life?

_“Yes Nana?”_

“...I can’t get the zipper all the way.”

_“You will need to get assistance.”_

He sounded amused. _Too _amused. Not for the first time Nana wanted a face to punch.

“You’re enjoying this.”

_“A bit.”_

“Aghh,” Nana ruffled their hair aggressively, definitley making it look like a bird's nest. Whatever. She wasn’t nervous. She wasn’t even _phased _.

Rolling her shoulders Nana stood up and kicked the door to the dressing room open. 

Then flushed and even deeper red when, after making brief eye contact with the three people waiting on her, the door bounced right back and clicked shut.

Snake was laughing.

There was a soft, two patterned knock.

“Nana,” Natsuki sounded completely casual, which was how Nana knew she was laughing at her. “Do you need help?”

Instead of answering she opened up the door, her other hand covering her face.

“Not a word,” she warned.

“About what?” Natsuki, the deity that she was, slipped behind her and zipped the dress the rest of the way up.

Nana looked up at the other two.

Fabio was smiling politely. Kouske snorted.

Nana kicked him with Flame enforced toes, reveling in the flinch and glare sent her way.

Fabio’s smile widened. He offered Nana his hand. “Shall we get started?”

“Yes,” Nana huffed, chin up and all the nerves shoved down into the very bottom of her stomach where she could pretend it was indigestion. “_Thank _you.”

Kouske rolled his eyes.

Fabio lead her over to the most extravagant make-up station Nana had seen since that one sleep-over in Beccio Catarina’s room during her third year (that bitch). 

“Don’t let all this intimidate you,” Fabio assured her, motioning for her to take a seat. He looked her over thoughtfully. “This is to supposed to give the impression of who you truly are, it would be foolish to drown you in cosmetics. Just enough to highlight your natural beauty, and perhaps a bit of color to match the dress.”

Nana jumped _at least _five feet in the air when Kouske suddenly stepped around the chair in front of her and leaned over her. His suit jacket was gone, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, and a container of something in hand.

“ _You’re _doing my makeup?!” Nana cried, feeling like a deer in headlights. Natsuki peered over her husband’s shoulder, his jacket draped over her arms. 

“Kouske enjoys things like this. Not to say anything poorly about Fabio, of course, but where he thrives in creating art out of cloth Kouske uses paints.”

“Okay,” Nana breathed out slowly, still eyeballing Kouske like he was going to snap her throat. “You guys know you don’t have to keep telling me about how perfect you are right? Cause, like, I already know. You could tell me you know how to build a safe, structurally sound space rocket out of fucking pocket lint and I would believe you.”

Nana hated herself for how pleased Kouske looked with the compliment.

“That wasn’t mean to make you happy!”

“May I?” Kouske motioned towards her face, cutting off Nana’s building rant. It was the most polite thing he had ever said to her, which is what she blamed when her mouth clicked shut and her head nodded.

Thin fingers pulled at her hair while Kouske smeared some kind of cream on her cheeks. Nana met Natsuki’s eyes in the mirror. She smiled.

Nana was going to die.

_“That looks quite lovely,” _Snake commented when everything was done.

Nana was still stuck in her brain, rolling cartwheel circles of chaos around her skull.

“Is what little brain you had left finally gone?” Kouske smirked, tugging his jacket back on.

“ _No _,” Nana snapped back, the familiar pettiness to argue with him calling her back like a homing beacon. “I just… this is really fucking cool. I honestly think you’re tricking me and that’s not a mirror. There’s just some lady mimicking me until the jumpscare happens.”

Her hair was left down, only slightly curled, but Natsuki had added a thin headband made of golden leaves. Her face looked… not like her face but totally her face? Like, it was still her but the pretty orange and yellow colors along her eyelids that matched her dress made her face seem… shinier? Nicer?

Fabio had given her some dark orange flats (thank god) that had thin dark yellow wraps that went up to just below her knees. And with the way the dress accentuated the muscles around her shoulders and back…

“I look really pretty,” Nana breathed, twisting back and forth.

“You always look pretty,” Natsuki told her plainly, glancing at her watch. “And we are right on time. Nana, now that you have seen his work what do you think of Fabio?”

“Uh,” Nana looked over her shoulder, “besides the fact that he’s still in the room? This is probably the nicest thing I’ve ever worn. Ever. And I had uniforms at school that could feed me for a month if I sold them.”

Which she had, once she graduated, which all the girls were badass enough to join in on so they all donated the money to whatever charity they thought needed it the most. It was fucking awesome.

Kouske shook hands with Fabio.

“Hold it!” Nana karate chopped down, breaking the two apart. “What is this ‘I just made a deal with the devil’ shit going on here? You might have fooled me this far with your- your _magics _and your sultry gazes but no more! What are your plans?!”

Kouske turned to Fabio, motioning at Nana.

Fabio nodded. “Yes, I see what you mean. They are delightful.”

Kouske sighed like he had missed the point.

“Nana,” Natsuki placed a hand on her shoulder. “Fabio was once a part of the Italian mafia.”

“Seriously?” Nana looked up (and up) at him. 

Fabio tipped his head. “I was. Natsuki, and in a much smaller way Kouske, helped me leave that life mostly behind to start living out my dream.”

“Smaller?” Kouske scowled. “I did _everything-”_

“And without Natsuki it would have been meaningless so your efforts were, in fact, minimal,” Fabio waved his hand flippantly at him.

Nana gapped. 

Fabio looked down at her, amused. “I am sure he won’t tell you anything himself, but Kouske and I have known each other since we were children.”

“You were in the mafia?!” Nana whirled on him.

“No.”

Fabio laughed softly. “No, not at all. He simply happened to live near my Famiglia. Kouske is a very boring man, don’t expect too much from him.”

“Fabio,” Nana clasped her hands together, looking up at him with awe-struck eyes. “You’re my hero.”

“I am honored,” he smiled back down at her, mirthful in every corner. “Back to the original topic, I do still have some ties to the mafia but they are all informational. My skills have become highly valued across the seas and I trade my goods for knowledge. As such, I know exactly what each Famiglia values when it comes to aesthetics. It would be my honor to help you plan accordingly when you are to meet with them. I will also make sure to always have a variety of different styles for you to choose from, unlike today. Dress, suit, or otherwise I will match what you need most.”

Oh damn. Nana hadn’t even thought of that part. She had been so focused on the rules and customs, afraid of her social disaster skills ruining her chances, she hadn’t even _thought _about how her looks would come across to people that were more traditional that _Hanazawa-san _. She had some minimal knowledge about that kind of thing from school, but no in-depth, family-by-family guide.

“So you’re like the cheat guide?” she clarified.

Fabio blinked. “That’s accurate enough.”

Nana looked down at herself, then around the room. “How much for the dress?”

He smirked (and it looked so much like Kouske’s Nana kind of wanted to hide). “I will charge you for anything extra, of course, but if it has to do with your plans for my home country then everything I give to you will be free.”

“No,” Nana poked him in the chest. Fabio blinked, startled. “No more of that. You can give me a discount, if you _really _have to, but nothing for free unless it’s like a birthday thing or something. I already have these two,” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, “throwing way too much into this without enough returns, I’m not going to start adding to that number. And if you don’t charge me I’m just going to start leaving random bags of money in your store all the time. I’ll totally overprice everything too!”

Fabio stared at her for a moment, blinking slowly. He looked up over her head, and whatever he saw there must have been convincing enough because the next second he conceded.

“A discount then,” he promised, smiling warmly. “I see why they like you so much.”

“No more flattery either!” Nana flushed, poking him again out of nerves now. “It’s too much!”

“Of course,” he agreed. “For tonight at least.”

“Mgh,” Nana grumbled. 

“Now, about the rest of the night,” Natsuki cut in, stepping back into Nana’s line of sight. “The restaurant across the street, I’m sure you noticed it?”

“It was a castle Natsuki,” Nana used exaggerated hand motions. “Of course I noticed it!”

The taller woman smiled. “Well, it is a favored traveling location for foreigners that are more criminally inclined.”

“It’s a bad guy castle,” Nana gasped.

Natsuki opened her mouth, then paused. “For the most part,” she settled on. “There are also several charitable and open-minded individuals but those are admittedly more rare. Kouske and I wanted to take you there tonight for several reasons.”

Nana fidgeted. She froze when a hand fell on her head, holding her still but careful not to mess up her hair.

“Prove to us that you can win over the people you target,” Kouske challenged, eyes narrowed and focused.

“There are going to be many things you have to do to win over the mafia Nana,” Natsuki stepped up next to Kouske, creating a combined force that always made Nana freak out. “Not all of the Famiglias will want the future you offer. Some will follow your ideals, some your strength, and the others,” Natsuki made sure she had Nana’s eyes, “will follow your lies.”

Nana folded her arms. Slowly, she tapped a finger along her arm. “I… think I know what you’re getting at. But can you explain more?”

“The majority of the mafia is made up of smaller Famiglias,” Natsuki twisted the end of her braid as she spoke. “Whether good intentioned or not most of them will agree to back you for the chance to obtain more equal-footed sway over their laws compared to the bigger Famiglias. Some will only be bought by brute force. I am fairly certain there will be those that join you simply because they see it as the right thing to do, but in the end there will be a fraction that can only be won over by making them believe that they are the ones in control. That they can somehow control you, as the figurehead, to get what they want in the end.”

Nana looked down, thinking about it. “So… I need to be able to act convincingly enough that they agree to my terms while still believing that their terms will be the ones to win out in the end.”

“Yes,” Natsuki nodded. “And while your records from school speak highly of your diplomatic abilites that is a particular facet of yours that we have not seen. We would like for you to demonstrate, to put our worries at ease.”

In Boarding School, there had been a game the teachers always had them play. They would get notecards with different personalities and names, as well as targets. Either people or information, by the end of the game you needed to have learned your assigned questions to win. It had been one of Nana’s favorites. It had reminded them of their life before when the twins would have story nights and they would all take turns playing a part and changing up the story as they went. It was pretty much just acting, and Nana had a blast so she always did her best to get better at it. Make it more interesting, like the stories. By the end of her final year she had one of the highest recorded scores in the entire school.

“I can do that,” she looked up, determined. The people she would be tricking, they would be the ones that Tsuna learned about in school. They would be the cruel ones, who enjoyed hurting people and taking from others purely because they believed they themselves deserved the world. They would be the ones that, if left alone, would try to hurt Tsuna the most.

“Prove it,” Kouske let go of her head (she wasn’t _that _fidgety, what an ass) and walked towards the door.

“You won’t have to do too much,” Natsuki promised, stretching up to kiss Fabio on the cheek in farewell. “We also want them to see that you are valued by our family, and with us there only certain people will approach you. A small demonstration is all we wish to see.”

Nana really wanted to know how her being seen with the Hibari family would be so influential if they weren’t actually a part of the mafia, but she doubted they would answer. She was starting to get the feeling that they wanted her to try to figure it out for herself.

Which was a _pain _, but also kind of fun when she didn’t think about their shady ties too deeply. It was like a blind scavenger hunt in a creepy forest. 

“Enjoy your dinner,” Fabio waved goodbye to them.

“Thank you Fabio!” Nana rushed over and shook his hand vigorously. “You’re really cool. Ask Natsuki for my number later and text me all the embarrassing stories about Kouske you have. I’ve got some good ones to share too!”

Fabio placed his hand over hers, slowing the handshake to normal speeds. “I look forward to speaking with you more Nana.”

Now this was a deal she could feel good about. 

Kouske grabbed her arm and nearly chucked her out the door, glaring at Fabio.

“Not a word.”

“My lips are sealed,” Fabio mimed zipping his lips. “I just simply can’t say the same for what my fingers may write.”

“Goodbye Fabio,” Natsuki pushed her growling husband out the door. “Consider your debt paid.”

“I don’t think I can ever think of it as paid Natsuki,” he smiled warmly, “but I appreciate it.”

They left the store together, Nana putting an extra little twist in her step so that the dress swayed and brushed along her legs. It was so _silky._

“Here,” Kouske shoved a folder into her hands as they made their way to the crosswalk.

“Where the fuck did you get this?” Nana squinted at him. “Those pockets look like they would fit a single q-tip, there’s no way you had this the whole time.”

Kouske side-eyed her. “If you do not want the handicap then simply throw them away.”

Nana hugged them to her chest. “I am never above cheating. These are mine now.”

“Here Nana,” Natsuki held out her hand. “I will help guide you while you read.”

“Oh sweet, thanks,” Nana blushed a bit, taking her hand and holding the file open with the other. It looked like basic fact sheets about a handful of people. Probably who they were going to meet at dinner. Man, this was not how she was planning for her night to go, but she couldn’t help the thrill of excitement. School had been tough as hell, but it had also been the most exhilarating time of her life. It was fun getting back into this stuff.

Natsuki and Kouse shared a look over her head, one fondly exasperated and the other deadpan. 

“...Family guy, easy… sleazy but gay, so my dress means I have a brother now… loves underground wrestling, piece of cake… awww, sweater knitter for dogs? We should do them last, that’s gonna be adorable. Crazy OCD, we should do them first.”

“Are you done?” Kouske asked before they got too close.

Nana flipped the folder closed and passed it back. “Considering the fact you gave that to me while we only had to walk across the street you should feel amazed by how fast I read that.”

She blinked and the folder was gone.

“See?” she pointed at him aggressively. “ _Magic.”_

“Nana,” Natsuki squeezed her hand before letting go. “Are you ready?”

“Hold on,” she flapped her hands, closing her eyes. “Let me get into character.”

The two Hibaris raised an eyebrow.

Natsuki hummed appreciatively when all the tension melted away from Nana’s shoulders. Kouske looked grudgingly impressed when she opened her eyes and looked back up at them. She looked exactly the same, but the set of her shoulders, tension in her spin, and the way the muscles in her face moved made her seem like a different person. Instead of the chaotic ball of energy they knew her as Nana looked more like a rich young woman fascinated by the castle but resigned politely to try to hide it.

A perfect target.

As they entered the building and all eyes turned to Kouske and Natsuki first, before looking bewildered at their guest (Nana could understand that, the Hibaris didn’t seem like ‘guest’ type of people) Nana stomped down the giddiness in her heart before it showed on her face. 

Game start.

\--00--

“It was _awesome _,” Nana wrapped around the body pillow like an octopus, falling sideways on Lavina’s bed. 

The owner of said bed was sitting with her back against her headboard, dabbing a cottonball in makeup remover.

“Close your eyes,” Lavina warned, brushing Nana’s hair back. 

Nana obeyed easily, shivering at the cold touch of the liquid as Lavina helped her get everything off.

“Kouske couldn’t be an asshole either, otherwise he’d blow the whole thing, so he was forced to act like a _gentleman _,” Nana snickered. “It was hilarious! He had to pull out my chair for me every time I wanted to sit down, so of course I was getting up all the time just to wander back, I could tell he was getting pissy with me. And Elisa, the one that knits the dog sweaters, was so sweet! I know we don’t have a dog but I commissioned one anyway so you could see. She’s going to send it to Natsuki in a few days. The food was to die for too. I wanted to box up a bunch of extra to take home but people kept watching us and I didn’t want to screw up after we got so far. Natsuki told me I handled everything really well but that was, like, second-year level. I told her about our graduation final and Kouske tried to call me a liar but then I told him how you used that ice-cream scoop to convince Sofia that you were actually an underground doctor and for some reason _that _made him believe me. What kind of stuff do you guys get up to when I’m not around, if that’s what convinces him?”

“This and that,” she chuckled, poking Nana’s nose to let her know she was done. “It sounds like you had a lot of fun, and the dress is gorgeous.”

They both turned to look at the dress hung against Lavina’s door. Nana had run in (knowing she would be up at midnight because her medicine was starting to seriously suck right now) and started spazzing out, trying to get all her words out at once. Lavina had told her that if she was going to be making that much noise when the sun was down then she could at least throw on one of Lavina’s nightgowns and lay down.

So here they were.

“I miss school,” Lavina sighed. “We complained so much when it was happening, but we had so much fun.”

“We did,” Nana agreed. She needed to side-step this conversation a bit before Lavina got too wrapped up in the things she used to be able to do. “You should come to that place sometime too. We can ask Natsuki or Kouske when would be best. The gardens are so well put together, it gave me some neat ideas. We could bring Kyoya, I’m sure he’d like it even if he pretended to hate it. Hey, we could make it a whole family trip!”

“I’d like that,” Lavina ran her hand through Nana’s hair, gentle and soothing. She smiled, biting her lip to hold back a laugh when Nana’s eyes fluttered.

“It’d… be fun. And you could meet… Fabio. Love him. He’s so… cool. He made fun of- of… uh, Kouske.”

“Did he?” Lavina murmured, pulling up the blankets she had made sure were scrunched up at the bottom of the bed before Nana laid down. Tucking them around her friend’s shoulders she clicked off the light and burrowed down as well.

Nana reached out and grabbed her hand, twining their fingers together.

“I really… love Namimori.”

“Me too,” Lavina whispered, leaning forward so that their heads were pressed together. “Me too.”

Nana was out a second later. 

It took Lavina a while longer. Her body was still aching, and she could feel the annoying ringing in her ears she always got late at night, but with Nana’s hand in hers and the soft, squeaking breaths that had filled her childhood right next to her she found herself starting to doze an hour later.

When Reborn did his rounds around the house not long after, he found the two sleeping peacefully, curled towards each other like security blankets. He looked at the dress on the door thoughtfully. He recognized that style of work…

With a smirk he tipped his hat down and returned to Tsuna’s room.

Maybe Nana would actually manage to do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm, I wonder what that look was for when Natsuki held Nana's hand ;D  
Hope you guys enjoyed this! I've been writing this particular scene for a while, trying to get it just right and I like how it turned out.
> 
> Fabio is an OC made by Laemon, that wonderful Lemon Deity. Praise be to lemons! Also, Fabio is a ton of fun. Let's have more have him.


	4. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where Namimor is actually a place of mythical creatures. Nana spends a night with their friends and kids.

“Tsu-kun, let’s go!” Nana called up the stairs, readjusting their scarf. If they didn’t get going soon they were going to be late.

“I’m coming!”

Rolling their eyes fondly Nana went back to making sure Lambo’s beanie actually stayed on his head. The horns were easy enough to work around, they had cut out holes for that reason, but that adorable little afro made it practically impossible for anything to stay on the boy’s head for more than a few seconds.

“I-pin, sweetie, could you get my gloves?” Nana looked over at the little Salamander.

I-Pin stopped making shapes out of her smoky breath and nodded, dashing off into the hall.

“Can I help Maman?” Fuuta wondered, floating around above their heads.

“Do you want to try to get Lambo’s hat to stick?” they grunted, Lambo giggling as they tugged and pulled the hat different ways.

“I can do that!” he cheered, stars spinning a little faster in his eyes. He floated down, tapping the hat. A second later all of Lambo’s hair was tucked in nicely, his horns free of constraint.

Nana sighed. “...I really should have just asked you in the first place.”

“Lambo attack!” the toddler threw himself at Fuuta now that he was within reach, making the other boy shriek. They tumbled through the air until Nana snatched Lambo and sent him to check on I-Pin. She probably didn’t need too much help, but her glasses had been broken yesterday when they were rough-housing so it was best to be cautious.

“Nana,” Lavina rolled in on her wheelchair, “does this look okay?”

Nana looked her up and down, cupping their chin as they thought. “That’s a lot of flowers. Will they be okay in the cold?”

“Oh yes,” the Siren nodded, brushing lithe fingers against said flowers. “Miyu said she would help me stay warm if I needed it.”

“In that case, you look perfect. Like usual.”

“Mom, have you seen my-”

“It’s on the table,” Lavina called back. “Make sure to bring your jacket!”

Hayato walked in, a rare, healthy flush to his cheeks. “Is Tsuna ready?”

“I’m ready!” Tsuna fumbled down the stairs. He was hitting another growth spurt and it was making the lion-hybrid far more clumsy than usual.

“Tsuna,” Nana scolded. “Where is your hat? Your ears are going to freeze out there.”

“Oh,” Tsuna blinked, ears twitching. “Right, one sec-”

“We’re going to be late because of you Tsuna,” Reborn slapped the beanie over his student’s head, long claws carefully angled to avoid scratching him. 

Tsuna grumbled, readjusting it so he could actually see. 

“I told you to stop hiding in the corners,” Nana pointed at Reborn warningly. The tall man smirked, melting back in the shadows just to mock them.   
“Ridiculous.”

“Maman!” I-Pin ran in with one glove in hand. “Gloves-”

“ _ Lambo _ got the gloves,” Lambo argued, sliding next to her with the other glove in hand.

Nana smiled, leaning down to give them both a kiss on the head. “Thank you both.”

The blushed, holding their heads and giggling to each other.

“Everyone else is already there,” Nana flung open the door, shivering against the blast of frigid wind. “Let’s go!”

It took a while to herd everyone to the clearing at the base of The Mountain, but they made it well before the meteor shower so Nana still counted it as a win.

“There you guys are!” Tsuyoshi waved his arms energetically. “We thought you got lost!”

Nana watched their group split off, keeping a close eye on Lambo and I-Pin. Usually, Fuuta could be trusted to watch over them, so long as they weren’t hanging out with anyone the older boy thought was cool. He caved to peer pressure like a styrofoam cup.

“You try managing these lunatics,” Nana complained, stepping up next to Tsuyoshi and Aiko.

“We’ve got Takeshi,” the tall man offered.

Nana stared at him blankly. “...Considering that Takeshi is a  _ literal _ angel, I’m going to ignore you.”

Aiko laughed, using her own wings to shield Nana and her Dryad husband from the wind. Nana smiled at her gratefully.

“Well, late or not we’re glad to see you.”

There was a heavy sigh behind them. “...I had thought you weren’t coming.”

Nana scowled. “That better not be crushed  _ hope _ I hear in your voice you asshole.”

Kouske rolled his eyes. 

“Oh, you must be freezing, “Aiko frowned, spreading her wing out. “Come a little closer Kouske-kun, before you catch a cold.”

Kouske blinked slowly at her.

“H-hello everyone,” a soft voice called behind Kouske.

“Miyu!” they all cheered (sans Kouske, the bastard).

The small, golden Phoenix stepped around him, smiling as the feathered flames around her body puffed up happily. 

“I-it’s good to see you all.”

Aiko lowered her wing once she realized Miyu could probably keep them  _ all _ warm with her proximity.

“Oh hey,” Nana looked up, scanning over the clearing. “Lavina is probably freezing by now, let me go grab her.”

“I can get her,” Miyu offered, nervous but trying. “I p-promised her I’d help keep her warm.”

“You’re awesome,” Nana and Tsuyoshi gave her a thumbs up.

Her feathers turned a shade darker before she fluttered away.

Kouske sighed, barely audible.

“Ha!” Nana pointed at him. “You  _ are _ cold!”

“Then in you go!” Tsuyoshi stepped up behind him, pushing him closer to Aiko.

Kouske glared at him, but it said a lot that he allowed it to happen.

Aiko closed the distance, easily curling her wings around them all. 

“It’s very kind of you two to come out here,” she said. “I know it’s hard to understand why this is so important to us.”

Nana waved her concerns away. “It doesn’t have to mean the same thing for it to be important to us too. If it matters to you it matters to us.”

“I’m here for Natsuki and Kyoya,” Kouske summarized.

Nana pointed at him. “That.”

“You are here for me as well Nana?”

Nana, so used to the bone-chilling feeling of ‘wrong,runaway,deathapproaches’ that came with many of their friends, didn’t even flinch.

“Of course!” they turned to grin at Natsuki.

Natsuki wasn’t as, uh, humanoid as she usually was when Nana saw her, but she wasn’t in full-on Jorogumo mode so that was appreciated. Seeing her in her natural form gave Nana really weird headaches. It made Nana curious how Kouske felt when he saw her, considering they were the only two humans of their friend group.

Natsuki smiled serenely back, two of her hands working on pulling her hair back as a third lifted a suspiciously red drink to her lips.

“We’re back,” Miyu chirped, soft and barely audible, as she wheeled Lavina up to them. 

Nana could see the kids playing some kind of keep-away game with something shiny. Kyoko seemed to be winning, her Kitsune tails easily keeping the others at bay. Chrome kept getting pretty close, becoming transparent enough to fool the other girl into letting her guard down. Most of them had forgone their jackets, even Mukuro which was a little surprising considering his hatred of the cold, but it made more sense when Ryohei started screaming again. Each word was punctuated by a visible wave of heat off his feathers. He always burned hotter than Miyu who was more like a warm blanket. Kyoya was hanging out around the edge of the clearing, eyes sharply focused on the game. He probably wouldn’t join when he might not be able to control himself completely (he was a little more… spidery than Natsuki) but he’d want to challenge the winner later for sure. Nana could occasionally see Reborn through the trees, tripping them all up to make the game more interesting and subtly keeping Lambo and I-Pin (and therefore Fuuta who wasn’t always aware of how far he was floating) within the tree line.

“Hello Lavina,” Kouske said. “It is good to see you could make it.”

Nana glared at him. What a two-faced little shit.

“I prefer star falls with friends,” Lavina clapped her hands. “It makes the energies stronger.”

“Try not to fall asleep this time dear,” Natsuki’s thumb (from her fourth arm) brushed along Kouske's cheek fondly.

Kouske pulled something out of his pockets, opening them to reveal a pair of earplugs.

“Oh, good thinking,” Tsuyoshi nodded. “We’d be fine, but you two would be out like a light.”

Nana, using their Flames to add to their advantage now that Kouske was distracted by his beautiful wife, stuck their hand in his pocket lightning fast. They pulled out a second pair of earplugs.

“Ha! I knew you brought some for me, you big softie!”

Kouske hooked his foot around Nana’s ankle, dumping them in the snow.

“Noooo,” they groaned, hopping up quickly and shuffling even closer to Aiko and Miyu.

Natsuki looked up. “It’s about to start.”

Nana, ignoring the shiver down their spine when every single person in the clearing (besides Kouske, but he was weird enough to warrant his own reaction) froze and looked up. Like a bell had gone off or something they all started separating, heading to different sections of the forest.

“Are you really sure?” Lavina reached back to pat Miyu’s hand. “I know water makes it harder for you.”

Miyu smiled warmly back. “It’s okay, we’ll be just close enough to keep you warm but the river shouldn’t interfere with anything.”

Nana waved them all off, wrapping their scarf further around their face as they settled in to wait. As soon as Lavina was past the treeline they put in the earplugs.

Soon enough it was only Kouske and Nana left. Tsuna had probably gone with Reborn and the kids. It was a little odd that Reborn knew what to do with such different species but Nana was grateful. They had never known what to really do for Tsuna on nights like this besides just… letting him wander off and trying to stay close enough to make sure he was safe without interfering in whatever he needed to do (and dear god had they been even  _ more  _ confused with Lambo, I-Pin, and practical celestial god Fuuta). Besides some basic info they had witnessed from Iemitsu they had been flying blind for a long time. Having someone they could trust helping them all in ways they actually needed was a huge weight off their shoulders.

“So,” Nana signed, turning to Kouske.  “Wanna do something to pass the time?”

He seemed to seriously be debating whether to ignore them or not. It was probably the cold that pushed him to answer, honestly.  “What.”

Nana shrugged.  “Anything to keep us warm. We could build something I guess. There’s a lot of snow.”

It was a huge show of the attention Kouske paid to his wife and son that he didn’t immediately suggest sparring. The aggression would draw everyone’s attention, so probably not a good idea tonight.

“What are the stakes.”

Nana hummed, thinking about it.  “If I win, you need to make me that coffee cake you made last time.”

“Weak.”

Nana stuck their tongue at him.  “And if you win I’ll make the risotto you love.”

His cheek twitched.

Nana grinned. Hook, line, and sinker.

“On the count of ten.”

They both tensed, mentally counting down. Ten seconds later they were off, each claiming one half of the clearing. 

As Nana worked they noticed a wavery figure sitting in a tree on their side.

“Hey Snake,” they waved, knowing Kouske couldn’t hear them but could definitely see them acting crazy. It was still kind of weird that no one but Nana could see Snake, it wasn’t like ghosts were uncommon or anything. “Done with your stuff already?”

Snake lazed back along the branch, staring up through the branches at the star. He was such a lazy ass.

_ “My rituals are purely spiritual. I do not have to be anywhere special to do them.”  _ Snake spoke directly into their head, just like always. Nana honestly doubted he _could_ speak out loud at this point.

“Cool. Help me make sure I’ve got all my structural stuff down.”

_ “That would be cheating Nana.” _

“So?”

Snake sighed.  _ “I won’t help you with this bet. Hibari Kouske will know you cheated.” _

Nana squinted at Kouske, his back turned and worryingly large clouds of snow flying around him. “...He wouldn’t know.”

_ “He will.” _

“Damn it,” Nana cursed, using their Flames to make it easier to form perfectly straight lines. “Fine, I can totally win this by myself!”

Snake didn’t say anything but Nana knew he was judging them. Nana threw a snowball at him, watching it pass straight through him to splatter across the branch.

_ “You knew that wouldn’t work.” _

“Still made me feel better.”

He rolled his eyes.

Two hours later and everyone started to slowly trickle back. First Natsuki and Kyoya, eyebrow raised in almost scary synchronization at the snow built feudal city on one side and the amusement park on the other. They were completely back to their humanoid forms so everything must have gone well.

Lavina, Miyu, Ryohei, and Kyoko were next. Miyu and Ryohei still radiated heat but their feathers were smoother looking and brighter. Kyoko looked exactly the same, just like always. Nana had no idea what she did for this but it probably did… something good for her. Lavina was walking by herself, the wheelchair in her own hands. That was the sign to take the earplugs out (Kouske kept his in cause he’s a dick of course). Nana was even more motivated by their cheerleading, even though they cheered for both of them equally.

Aiko and Takeshi swooped in, landing carefully away from the snow structures so they didn’t accidentally destroy them. Tsuyoshi stepped out of the woods a few seconds later, his skin looking a little branchy but it was fading fast.

Mukuro and Chrome were next, Chrome looking more visible and stable. Mukuro looked pretty much the same but Nana honestly didn’t even know what he was yet. Not human, that was for sure, but they were never able to pinpoint anything that might have shown what he was. Besides disliking the cold, but that was way too vague. They moved to stand by the Hibaris, Mukuro and Kyoya glaring at each other while Chrome and Natsuki chatted pleasantly.

Nana’s kids showed up last. Tsuna’s eyes were orange (they would be for a few days) and he seemed more serious, but he still smiled happily when Nana waved at him. Fuuta was walking back, which was good for Nana’s heart. They were always tempted to use one of those kid leashes with him, just to make sure he didn’t float right out of the atmosphere. I-Pin and Lambo were asleep in Reborn’s arms. I-Pin’s scales were a dark red again, instead of the light red/almost pink shade they had been getting to. Lambo’s horns were a little longer, which was delightful to see. Reborn had told Nana that would be a sign that he was growing healthily (and oh, how  _ furious  _ Nana had been when they learned his horns were  _ stunted _ ).

Reborn himself was the same, if only a little less… fuzzy. Instead of the dark lines of his suit blurring like they were trying to sink into the background he was a lot more solid.

“Okay,” Nana dusted off their hands, gloves practically white now. “Clearly, I am the winner.”

Their amusement park was designed for all ages! It had a kiddy-land, rollercoasters that went in every direction, a theater and art zone, and a water park. It was perfect.

Kouske snorted. His exact rendition of Edo Tokyo was mediocre at best (even if just looking at it filled Nana with a sense of peace and ancient wisdom that had no place existing in someone that had never seen Edo Tokyo).

They both turned to their friends and family.

The votes were tied.

“Ugh,” Nana groaned. “How do we use that?”

Kouske was also displeased. “Your pity points should not count.”

“ _ Pity  _ points?!”

While the two of them argued, then turned to destroying the other's creations in a re-enactment of Godzilla, Natsuki led everyone else to the side.

“Where did all this food come from?” Tsuna looked at the rows of food laid out decoratively on fold-out tables that had suddenly appeared.

Natsuki smirked, grabbing a plate.

“Tsuyoshi,” Aiko scolded, smacking his hand away from the soup when he went for another spoonful. “Save some for Nana and Kouske-kun.”

Tsuyoshi laughed. “It’ll probably be cold by the time they're done fighting.”

Miyu laughed under her breath, flushing when two blazing Yamamoto smiles were turned towards her.

They all got their plates, finding a good place along the edge of the clearing to watch the show. It ended up with the two humans being soaked and equally grumpy but the food and warmth of their friends and family took care of that right away.

“Happy Halloween,” Nana sleepily cheered, leaning fully on Tsuyoshi and two seconds away from sleeping.

“Happy Halloween!” they all lifted their glasses cheering (except Kouske, but Nana would let this one go since he was laying with his head in Natsuki’s lap and her hands in her hair. Nana would be passed out if they were in his place too).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mythical creatures and where to find them  
Nana: Human  
Tsuna: Half-human, half-lion hybrid  
Lavina: Siren (her music is magically my friends)  
Hayato: 1/4 Siren, 3/4 something Nana thinks is totally a vampire but has yet to prove because Gokudera Salvi is a subtle man with smart window placements.  
Lambo: Little cow-kid (could he be anything else, really?)  
I-Pin: Salamander (little dragon girl, with scales and fire ready to kick butt)  
Fuuta: Unknown but Nana thinks he's a celestial god of the stars (no one can disprove this theory)  
Reborn: Shadow creature (Nana has been trying to narrow down the exact species but every time they think they have it Reborn does something new that destroys the theory)  
Kouske: Human (and that's the scariest thing of all)  
Natsuki: Jorogumo (Spider Lady)  
Kyoya: Jorogumo (spider kid)  
Chrome: Human/Spirit (she's only mostly dead, which means partially alive)  
Mukuro: ....?? Not human  
Tsuyoshi: Dryad (Plant man loves trees)  
Aiko: Angel (self-explanatory)  
Takeshi: Angel w/ some special attunement to nature  
Miyu: Phoenix (she's sunny and being reborn!)  
Ryohei: Phoenix (he takes after his mum)  
Kyoko: Kitsune (which doesn't actually make sense biologically cause the biological father was definitely NOT)  
Snake: Ghost?? (Nana doubts, but doesn't know what else to classify him as)
> 
> I would have added everyone else but for now, I wanted to focus on the main cast and families. Hope you guys liked it! Happy Halloween!


	5. Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short little thing in celebration of Thanksgiving today!   
The parents get ready for a group meal  
Kouske and Nana create a rare, unified team  
Lavina panics  
Natsuki... tries her best  
Tsuyoshi, the one with an actual job as a chef, surprising sucks at this (If it ain't fish, it ain't my dish)  
The kids are in the background somewhere, probably causing chaos  
Reborn takes the day off from that chaos to join a new chaos  
Cooking with friends is fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Sorry for the huge delays in content, my second job is at a grocery store and the subsequent build-up to Black Friday is kind of killing us all. I work from 4pm-1am today T-T  
But! I wanted to let you all know how eternally grateful I am to be able to write and share these ideas with you. And to have people that genuinely enjoy what I write is more than I could ever ask for. I am grateful to all of you and I hope your day is filled with all the love and appreciation you deserve! And hey, if you're having a crap day and it's hitting hard I hope it helps, even just a small bit, to know that you're loved and appreciated, even if just by me.

Thanksgiving was a time for love. It was about coming together with your loved ones and celebrating the fact that they were in your life. It was about looking at the good in your life, big or small, and being grateful for it. It was a day for love and gratitude. 

Japan… didn’t really have a Thanksgiving per se, but they  _ did  _ have a Thanksgiving/Labor Day kind of thing to celebrate harvests and workers and stuff. So Nana took the opportunity to introduce some of the traditions from their last life.

Only to regret it immediately afterwards. 

“I said  _ whisk _ it not  _ beat _ it,” Nana elbowed Reborn out of the way to salvage what they could. “Why do the deviled eggs look like that? Who was in charge of that? Tsuyoshi!”

Thank every entity known to man for Kouske because Nana was about to lose their god damned mind. He was the only one actually making any progress while, at the same time, saving the others from mistakes that would destroy whatever dish they were making. 

_ “Nana, it’s not quite reaching the consistency it needs,”  _ Snake huffed in the back of their head.  _ “I do not understand. I followed your exact process.” _

“Try adding a bit more milk,” Nana advised, swirling in a cloud of flour over to Lavina to readjust her hold on the knife. “And Lavina don’t tense up so much. You’ll hurt yourself.”

Lavina stared down at fruits like they were her worst enemy. “I want this to be perfect Nana. If I can’t cut these into perfect flower shapes then what good am I as a mother?”

Nana blinked at her blankly. “You take some of these things way to serious- Aiko I’ve told you a thousand times the sugar goes in  _ last!” _

“It is last!” Aiko argued back, the mixing bowl held precariously in her hands as she turned around. Nana almost shrieked when a drop spilled over the rim. “I don’t have anything else to add!”

“Kouske literally measured everything out for you,” Nana pointed at the small bowls lining the cabinet next to the taller woman. “That is  _ everything _ you need so if one of them isn’t empty then it means you haven’t used them all!”

Aiko huffed. “This is far too much cinnamon.”

“No,” Nana put their foot down. “The other ingredients will balance it out. Are you saying Kouske made a mistake?”

The other side of the room seemed a bit darker. Aiko pressed her lips together while dumping in the rest of the cinnamon.

This was quite possibly the one time in their entire life that Nana felt unified with Kouske.

“Oh hey!” Tsuyoshi laughed. “That’s a funny color. Why’d it change color like that?”

These fucking heathens.

“That would be due to the sweet potatoes,” Natsuki brushed a stray dusting of flour off her cheek. “This is looking fine Tsuyoshi-kun but I do believe you should finish your original job before moving on to the next.”

Tsuyoshi craned his neck to look over at his bowl of half mixed egg fillings. “...Isn’t that fine as it is?”

Iron hands clamped down on his shoulder. Tsuyoshi smiled brightly back at Kouske as the man moved him back to the other side of the kitchen. He laughed even louder when Nana put the bowl in his hands, glaring at him until he started mixing again.

“Here,” Reborn dropped what had to be the fiftieth bowl that day into Nana’s arms. They fumbled with it, trying not to let it spill.

“Don’t drop shit in here,” Nana warned him, taste testing the cream. “Oh, this is way better! Good job Reborn!”

He smirked, tipping his fedora down. Nana wasn’t going to tell him about the powdered sugar his fingers left behind, especially since Leon seemed all for the cleanup job.

“Okay, you can start on the potatoes now,” Nana checked the time. “They should be done cooking. Just put them in the bowl I left by the stove and start mashing.”

Reborn shrugged and moved to comply. He really shouldn’t be wearing a dress shirt while they worked but at least he had taken off the suit jacket and tie. That would have been a disaster.

“I’m done!” Aiko cheered, once more spinning with the bowl in a way that made Nana's stomach clench. “ _ And _ I put the sugar in very last!”

Kouske grabbed the bowl from her hands before it could spill, looking very much like he wanted to kick everyone out of his kitchen.

“...Go check on the children.”

“Yes,” Aiko said, as though that had not been her plan all along. She skipped over to give Tsuyoshi a kiss on the cheek before ducking out.

Kouske sighed. Nana patted him on the back in solidarity.

“Natsuki,” Kouske set Aiko’s bowl to the side, stepping up next to his wife. “You’re peeling too much.”

Natsuki looked from him to the thin, barely even there slice of carrot left over. “Should I stop here then?”

Kouske nodded. He handed her a grate instead. “Go help Lavina.”

“Alright,” Natsuki agreed, drying off her hands. She gave him a fond kiss, brushing her thumb along his cheekbone before she left.

Most of Nana’s jobs were finished, they were just waiting for the various timers lined along the oven to go off. They bumped Kouske over to help finish up peeling the remaining vegetables.

“Um… Kouske-san. Nana, is this… okay?”

Miyu looked as small as the freshly filled creampuffs on the tray in her hands.

“Ohh, nice job Miyu!” Nana tilted their head around to see them better. “These look awesome!”

Kouske moved two of them a bit further apart, nodding. “These are fine. Put them in the fridge next to the pudding.”

“Okay,” her smile bloomed out, the praise helping straighten her spine.

“When you’re done with that why don’t you help Aiko with the kids?” Nana suggested. “We’re just about done here and I don’t think Kyoya would be very happy with us for leaving him in charge of everyone for so long.”

Kouske snorted.

“Okay,” Miyu nodded. “I don’t think we need to worry though. Tsuna-kun is very good at keeping everyone safe.”

At the expense of his own sanity, sure.

Once Miyu had left Nana took stock of where everyone was at, absentmindedly peeling a zucchini while they did so.

Lavina and Natsuki were bickering quietly over how to arrange the artfully cut fruits, Tsuyoshi was still mixing the damned egg fillings but he was keeping to himself so that was fine, Reborn was mashing the potatoes with a singular focus that was kind of alarming to look at, and Bianchi was still singing to herself happily in the little corner Nana had set up just for her. No one else seemed to really like Bianchi’s cooking but like hell was Nana going to let an entire festive meal go by without her delicious cooking. Nana would eat everything themselves if they had to, but they were sure Tsuna would want some too.

“We’re almost done,” Nana breathed a sigh in relief.

“Finally,” Kouske rolled his eyes. “This would have been done faster without them.”

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” Nana said. “But this holiday is all about coming together so it’s kind of a tradition to have others help.”

“We have never had other people help.”

“But isn’t it nice to cook with Natsuki?” Nana dug the trap.

Kouske glared at them. “Any time spent with Natsuki is enjoyable, I was talking about the rest of these idiots.”

“Well.... what about Lavina? And Miyu? They both helped a lot!”

Kouske rolled his eyes, washing off the last of the vegetables in the sink. “Lavina has been overcome with anxiety since the realization that this was the first holiday with her son she would be celebrating in full. It has made her sloppy. Miyu took the entire time to do one half-hour job due to her own worries. Everything would have been done faster if we were the only ones involved.”

“And as touched as I am that you want to cook with me,” Nana placed a hand over their heart, “everyone else still had fun. They drove us to the brink of insanity, sure, but that’s what this kind of thing is all about!”

“Suffering?”

“Suffering  _ together.” _

Kouske made that little disgusted noise in the back of his throat that Nana had come to know as the one where he didn’t want to admit how much he actually enjoyed social interaction with his friends.

“See? You love us.”

Nana spluttered a bit when Kouske put his hand over their face and shoved them out of the way so he could join Natsuki and Lavina.

“Okay,” Nana righted themselves, flipping him off. “Rude, asshole.”

Three timers went off at once.

In the following storm of chaos the rest of the food turned out okay (despite Tsuyoshi’s best efforts, he was a  _ chef _ for a living what the fuck-?) and Nana and Kouske came out of it with more patience than either expected to have left.

It was great.

And sure, the meal inevitably dissolved into a food fight once Mukuro and Kyoya realized they were going to be sitting next to each other, but Natsuki was a pro at keeping her husband from murdering children so that ended fine too (Nana couldn’t even bring themself to be upset when Tsuna won in the end cause fuck  _ yeah _ their son was the  _ best _ ). Snake kept up some nice running commentary too (even though he complained that his dishes didn't come out looking nearly as nice as Nana's, what a nerd).

It wasn’t the Thanksgiving they remembered, with a small meal and shared jokes. The atmosphere back then had been calm and relaxed. It had been warm in a way Nana treasured more than anything. But for all the differences the most important part remained the same. Nana could still sit there, smiling and laughing, as they basked in the pure fortune they had in being able to find a family that fit them so well.

A family to be grateful for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short! I wanted to add a lot more but I feel like I had to get this out today you know?   
Have a Happy Thanksgiving and if you don't celebrate that then just have a fantastic day! Let someone know you love them, even if just for the heck of it!  
And speaking of which...  
I love you all!


	6. What If

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if a different choice had been made?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not Canon. You'll see why pretty fast.

“I can’t find his sippy cup!”

“It’s by the sink, I just told you that you nerd!”

“Oh, there it is. Where’s his jacket?!”

“On him,  _ you  _ helped put it on! We’ve got everything Iemtisu, I promise. Let’s go!”

The tall blond man still seemed uncertain, walking back into the room with a fish print sippy cup in one hand and a hefty bag in another.

Nana rolled his eyes. “Iemitsu, it’s a walk. We’re not moving.”

“But what if he needs something?” Iemitsu dug through the bag, balancing the cup perfectly so he could double-check everything.

“Then he can have it when we get back. Everything he  _ needs _ is in the stroller already.” Nana ducked under his arms, batting them away from the bag and pecking him on the cheek. When he smiled dopily back at him Nana snagged the cup from his hands and returned to the stroller.

Tsuna cheered when the cup was placed in his hands, taking a small sip before deciding to chew on it instead.

“Does it taste alright?” Iemitsu leaned over, wiggling his fingers at their son.

Tsuna giggled, grabbing at his thumb.

“He loves juice, it tastes fine,” Nana assured him. “Iemitsu, he’s two. You’ve got to adjust at some point.”

Nana would maybe understand his extreme paranoia if he rarely saw Tsuna. But he’d never been gone for more than a few days (and even that involved kicking him out the door because he refused to leave) so it wasn’t like all of this was new to him.

“How could I ever get used to seeing this face?” Iemitsu wondered, brushing his nose over Tsuna’s and delighting in the boy’s giggles. “It’s like waking up to you every morning! A miracle!”

Nana tugged at his shoulder until he stood up before kissing him. Iemitsu hummed happily, leaning into it. 

Nana pulled back with a warm smile. “That’s very sweet. You still need to calm down.”

“Nana,” he pouted. 

“Walk, walk, walk!” Tsuna chanted, lifting his cup like a trophy.

“You got it buddy!” Iemitsu grabbed the handles and wheeled him towards the door.

Nana laughed, following after them. He loved his family.

\--00--

“Flames?” Nana frowned, head tilted.

“They’re very powerful,” Iemitsu sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “And useful to have.”

He ran a hand over his face before looking up. He probably sounded like a lunatic.

His heart jumped in his chest when Nana smiled at him with enough warmth to make him blush. She stood up, moving to stand between his legs and bracing his face between her hands. “What are you so nervous about? Did you think I wouldn’t believe you?”

“Maybe,” he relaxed. Iemitsu curled his arms around her waist, closing his eyes as he leaned into the warm touch. When Nana’s thumbs drifted gently across his cheekbones he turned his face into her palm, laying a soft kiss there. 

“Do you want to see them?” he asked, pulling her hands away gently. She nodded, looking confused. Closing his eyes he willed the familiar warmth to the surface. He felt the spark in the center of his forehead.

Nana’s warmth suddenly disappeared. Iemitsu opened his eyes.

Nana shrieked, grabbing the hand towel off the dishwasher and smacking it harshly against Iemitsu’s face.

“Ow!” he tried to back away but she chased after him. “N-Nana, it’s okay! It’s okay!”

“You’re on  _ fire _ ,” Nana yelled back, incredulous. “Put your head in the sink!”

Iemitsu put out his Flames quickly, raising his hands so Nana couldn’t get to his face again. “It’s okay! It’s not like normal fire!”

Nana threw her hands up, eyes looking like they were either going to pop right out or roll back. “Is  _ that _ what you’ve been telling me about?! That’s not  _ fire _ you maniac, that was fucking magic!”

“Uh,” Iemtisu rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you talking to me or…?”

“Snake,” Nana told him, reaching up to cradle his jaw, turning his head this way and that to check for burns.

Iemtisu closed his eyes, leaning into the feather-soft touches being layered over his face.

“I  _ thought _ it was a fucking metaphor, who the hell would think ‘oh, the Flames of Will’ and then picture  _ actual fucking fire _ popping out of your head,” Nana grumbled, pushing at her husband’s shoulders until he was sitting down again. Now that she could look down at Iemitsu’s face Nana double-checked that he wasn’t hurt anywhere, running her hands through his hair just in case.

Iemitsu turned into the hand resting on his cheek, giving it another kiss. He smiled when a matching kiss was placed on his head.

“I thought it was about determination or some shit, like how you can out-stubborn death sometimes given the right situations. There’s medical stuff like that, and you said it was rare so why wouldn’t I think that?”

Iemitsu let her ramble on without interruption, letting himself feel spoiled until Nana was done talking to the ghost person they always did (he never quite understood it, but if a ghost was going to attach to  _ anyone _ , it would be someone as amazing and sweet as his Nana).

“It looks like you’re okay,” Nana rested her forehead against Iemitsu’s. “Is that something you can just… do? Like, all the time?”

“Mh-hm,” he hummed, opening his eyes to look at them. “I’ve been training my Flames ever since I was a little kid. I can call them up at will, so long as I can keep a strong purpose in my mind.”

“Yeah? What was your purpose this time?”

“To show you how useful they were so maybe you would let me teach you how to use your own.”

“I can do that?” Nana’s eyes were wide.

Iemtisu smiled up at her, holding her hands before standing up. He dug through his pockets. “I called in some favors and an old acquaintance of mine sent me this.”

Nana took the proferred bracelet. It was a simple silver band, not additional markings or anything.

“What’s this?”

“A conductor,” Iemitsu explained, taking it and sliding it on Nana’s wrist. “Once you’ve unlocked your Flames it will help you use and control them. One day you might not need it anymore but it makes starting out a lot easier.”

He bit the inside of his lip when Nana squinted up at him. Narrow hazel eyes scanned his face, the flash of intelligence drawing him in like it always did.

“...Why do you want me to learn how to use my Flames?”

Iemitsu brought Nana’s hands to his lips, kissing across the knuckles. “Because it will be safer for you and Tsuna. I want to say I’ll always be there to protect you but I can’t see the future. If anything were to happen I’d feel a lot better knowing you can take care of yourself.”

“I can fight,” Nana reminded him and Iemitsu flashed back to the time he had startled them and had gotten bodily thrown to the ground in retaliation.

“I know you can,” he agreed, “but there are people out there that can use Flames like mine and physical ability will only get you so far.”

Nana’s eyes glazed over for a second so Iemitsu waited. Snake was an odd sort, from what he’d heard, but the ghost did seem to watch over Nana in a way. Hopefully, he was convincing Nana to let him help.

“I guess,” Nana sighed, refocusing on Iemitsu. It always made a warmth bubble up in his heart when they would look at him and he could tell, just from their change in expression, that Nana loved him with all of their heart. “Okay Mitsu. Where do I start?”

“Well,” he kept their hands clasped, “have you ever been to The Mountain near here?”

Nana blinked. “There’s a mountain near here?”

\--00--

“Stop laughing!” Nana threw a book at him.

Iemitsu roared, rolling along the floor. The book bounced off his arm harmlessly.

“It’s not funny Iemitsu! I almost died!”

“H-he’s  _ five _ ,” Iemitus wailed, tears flowing down his cheeks from how hard he was laughing. “Y-your Flames… from a  _ five-year-old!” _

“He’s  _ scary!” _ Nana defended themselves in the wreckage of what was once their living room.

Tsuna, chilling out in his high-chair with a spoon swaying in his hands, laughed and cheered along with Iemitsu.

“No, Tsu-kun, not you too,” Nana despaired. 

They both continued to laugh themselves silly. Nana knew that would change one day. The second Iemtisu met that monstrous little Kyoya he would change his tune.

One day.

\--00--

Iemitsu shrieked, running in the opposite direction.

Nana cackled maniacally. “Yes!  _ Yes! _ Kick his ass Kyoya!”

“Ass!” Tsuna mimicked.

“Oh, shit, Tsu-kun, no,” Nana hushed him quickly. “Don’t say that. That’s a bad word.”

“Shit?”

“Agh, nooo,” Nana flailed her arms. “Shhhh!”

“Shit!” he beamed, waiting to be praised for learning a new word.

“Oh, he’s going to kill me,” Nana groaned. She perked up. “But not if Kyoya kills him first! Kyoya, kill him!”

“Nana?!”

“I’ll bite you to death.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Shit!”

“ _ What _ did he just-?!”

“Kill him  _ faster _ , Kyoya! I’ll make you chocolates!”

Iemitsu’s scream echoed through the neighborhood.

\--00--

Iemitsu laughed at Aiko’s story, glancing over at where Nana and Tsuyoshi were having a cookie eating contest. They’d both have stomach aches by the end of the day no doubt. Hopefully their yells didn’t wake the boys up from their nap.

“What odd people,” Iemitsu turned back to Aiko as she finished wiping the counter. “I wish I had been there! I would have loved to see you handle that in person.”

Aiko smiled back, rolling her eyes fondly. “Tsuyoshi tried to take a video but he doesn’t really get how that works and he accidentally flipped the view around. It’s just a five-minute video of him laughing.”

Iemitsu snorted.

“Take that!” Nana roared, face covered in crumbs.

“Cheats!” Tsuyoshi pointed at Nana, still grinning despite the competitive glimmer in his eyes. “I never forfeited!”

“I ate the most cookies!”

“There was only one left, I can keep going!”

“Well so can I!”

Aiko and Iemitsu shared a look before moving to gather up their respective spouses. 

“Nana, it’s almost Tsu-kun’s bedtime isn’t it?”

Aiko didn’t even bother trying to be convincing, just shoving Tsuyoshi into the back of the store.

“But Aikooo-”

“No buts, go clean your face.”

“Awww.”

Aiko leaned back before they both disappeared. “I’ll grab Tsuna-chan for you, be right back!”

“Thanks Aiko,” Nana waved, leaning back into Iemitsu’s arms. “Hey,” he patted the blonde’s arms. “I totally won that.”

“You did,” Iemitsu agreed, bending down to kiss his forehead. “Feeling tired?”

Nana patted his belly now, looking content. “Yeah. Full of food means ready for bed.”

Iemitsu hummed, resting his head on Nana’s and closing his eyes. They leaned against each other, comfortably silent until Aiko reappeared with their sleeping toddler in her arms.

“Get home safe,” she whispered, handing him over to Nana.

“Sleep well Aiko,” Nana smiled softly, readjusting Tsuna so he was slumped over his shoulder. 

Iemitsu waved at her before they both left.

“I love the Yamamotos,” Nana sighed happily.

Iemitsu hummed in agreement. “They’re good people.”

"Gorgeous as hell too."

"Oh yeah."

Keeping Tsuna propped up on his shoulder with one arm Nana twined the fingers of his free hand with Iemitsu’s. They enjoyed the peaceful walk back, Tsuna’s squeaking little snores the only noise between them.

\--00--

“...The Hibari's are too pretty for this world,” Nana grumbled, shielding their eyes from the beauty that was Natsuki on her morning jog.

“Mh,” Iemitsu nodded, also looking away.

“Think they’re human?”

“No.”

“Me neither.”

Namimori just wasn’t real.

\--00--

“Iemitsu,” Nana shook his shoulder. “Iemitsu, wake up.”

It was three in the morning, they were in Italy staying with Lavina, and Nana couldn’t sleep with the way her back throbbed in time with her heart, as though it were saying she was in danger even though she was never anything but safe in her husband’s arms.

The arm around her waist pulled her in as he blinked blearily up at her. Soon his other hand was raising up to brush her hair out of her face. “Nana? What’s wrong?”

Nana tucked herself into him, head firmly under his chin. He rolled so that he could hold her better. 

“I… I don’t know. My back hurts. And I- every time Lavina- I don’t think she should go alone today.”

Iemitsu hummed, slowly running his fingers through her hair, detangling any knots he found gently. “Your instincts have never been wrong so far. Why don’t you go with her? You can meet Hayato and I’ll look after Tsuna.”

The words were simple, but Nana couldn’t quite hold back the sigh of relief when the burning along her back faded a little.

“Does your back feel like it’s sore or like it was hurt somehow?” Iemitsu wondered, hesitant to massage her aches away until he knew the cause.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she murmured, exhausted. A soft kiss to her head and she was gone.

Iemtisu rolled her over, making sure she was on her stomach. Checking her back he couldn’t find any sign of injury. Trailing his fingers over the curling lines of her tattoo he frowned. She had been on edge the entire trip, and this whole thing had been a last-minute dash towards something.

A tingling feeling in the back of his mind had been calling for his attention since the start, and it had left him feeling on edge too, but for some reason now it was gone.

Hopefully that meant everything would turn out okay. He’d talk about it more with Nana tomorrow, after she got back with Lavina.

\--00--

“Welcome home!” Iemitsu threw the door open dramatically, bowing as he motioned inside. Tsuna, at his feet, mirrored him and bowed a little more wobbly.

Lavina smiled tiredly, the dark circles of her eyes lightening a little at his show of positivity. She patted Iemitsu’s arm as Nana wheeled her through the door.

“Thank you, Iemitsu-kun, Tsuna-chan. Your home is lovely.”

“ _ Your _ home too,” Nana reached forward to rest a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You’re family Lavina.”

Lavina breathed shallowly, sniffling.

Iemitsu closed the door quietly behind them. Scooping Tsuna up into his arms he left Nana and Lavina to themselves (he doubted he would be much of a comfort, he only really knew Nana’s best friend from stories) but he could keep Tsuna busy while they had their moment.

“Let’s get you some food buddy,” he lifted Tsuna onto his back, grinning when Tsuna giggled and latched onto his hair gently.

Their family was growing, and while the circumstances could have been better he was happy to see the joy being around their friend brought to Nana’s eyes. Besides, Lavina had always sounded like a  _ very _ interesting person from Nana’s stories. He had been feeling an ache, missing the chaos of his Famiglia even with the warmth Nana and Tsuna brought to him. It would be nice to have another voice around. 

\--00--

“They’re calling me back,” Iemitsu hunched over himself, handing Nana the letter without looking up.

Nana didn’t say anything, taking it from him and reading it over.

How could he leave now? Tsuna was  _ just _ starting middle school, and everything was settled so  _ perfectly _ . If he went back now, would he come back? Would things be the same if-when-  _ if _ he did? Could he really risk going?

His Famiglia needed him. Could he risk  _ not _ going?

Gentle but calloused hands brushed through his hair. “...You should go.”

Iemitsu turned pained eyes to them. “Nana, I can’t-”

Nana smiled, all warm and understanding. He tracked the strain in the furrow of their brows and felt his heart clench. “We aren’t your only family,” they kissed his forehead. “And you’ll regret it forever if something happens and you weren’t there.”

“But if something happens  _ while _ I’m there-”

Nana cut him off with a quick peck on his lips. “You’ll come back to us. Like you always do. And if you take too long I’ll come and get you.”

“I don’t want you wrapped up in all this,” Iemitsu argued even as his shoulders relaxed. Nana had taken to their Flames like a fish to water. If anyone was going to watch his back, he wanted it to be them.

“I’m making sure  _ you _ don’t get wrapped up in something,” they assured him with another gentle kiss. “You make sure they’re safe, and  _ I’ll _ make sure you’re safe.”

“Who will keep you safe then?”

His skin tingled from where Nana’s hands sparked, gentle currents of electricity curling along their arms for a second before fading.

“You already made sure I’m safe. Do what you need to Mitsu, I’ve got your back.”

Iemitsu breathed out shakily, pulling Nana into his arms and holding them tight. “...You are too nice to me Nana.”

“You deserve nice things,” they smiled softly into the side of his throat. “I love you Iemitsu.”

“I love you too,” he breathed, eyes clenched tight. Gods did he love them.

\--00--

“What the  _ fuck _ Iemitsu?!” Nana threw his hands in the air.

“I know!” he shouted back, looking seconds away from tearing his own hair out. “I  _ know _ Nana!”

“Do you?!” he demanded, furious. “You’re taking his life away from him! You said you didn’t want us to be tied up in all this, and now you’re wanting him to be in  _ control _ of everything?!”

“No!” he roared back. “I never wanted this, for either of you, but I- I don’t know what else to do!”

“You could  _ not _ make our son a fucking  _ mafia boss _ ,” Nana spat, fist curled at his side.

“He’s the only one left!” Iemitsu’s voice cracked. It was enough to soften the daggers in Nana's eyes, but not erase them. “Nana, please,” he begged. “I don’t  _ want  _ this. I’ve never wanted this! It’s why I left! But he’s… he’s the only one left that  _ could  _ do it and without him the Vongola… my  _ family _ … I- I don’t know what to do.”

It was either Tsuna became the next leader of the Vongola, or the Vongola fell. With no one to inherit the rings the other Famiglias would tear them apart, and no matter how many remained loyal he knew it would only be a matter of time before they fell. But Tsuna, his little sun, would be swallowed up in the darkness he worked so hard to keep him from. Fuck, he’d be  _ throwing _ his own son straight into it. One way or the other he was going to sacrifice a family for a family. 

“I don’t know what to do,” he whispered, pressing his palms against his eyes so hard his vision blurred white.

He could hear Nana pacing angrily across from him. Would he ever be able to look at him the same way again? For even considering this, would he ever forgive him?

There was a brusk, heavy sigh. Then small hands were pulling his hands away from his face.

“Don’t do that,” Nana lectured, eyes still burning but the sharp slant of his mouth lessened. “You’ll hurt your eyes.”

“Nana,” Iemitsu croaked, torn in two.

“Shut up,” he warned. “Don’t- just don’t talk to me right now. I need to think. Fuck! I’m going for a walk.”

“Okay,” he said, soft and broken.

Nana froze halfway out the door. With a muffled scream, his lips closed to keep as much of the sound in as he could, he whipped around and stormed up to him. When he wrapped his arms around him, a little too hard to be painless, it was like he was holding Iemitsu together before he could shatter apart.

“I still love you, you fucking idiot,” Nana spat, still sounding like he was moments from murder. “I’m pissed as  _ hell _ , and I’m going to be for a long,  _ long _ time but I still love you. Stop freaking the fuck out and think of different ways to get around this. We’ll figure something out. I’ll be back.”

Nana peeled away from him and marched out the door, arms swinging at her sides like they were made of metal. 

Iemitsu sunk down, shaking.

He didn’t deserve this. This  _ love _ . But god, did he need it, and he refused to let it go.

\--00--

“We’re taking over the mafia.”

“ _ What?!” _

Nana stared him down, determined and strong. They’d never looked more beautiful. “We’re taking over the mafia. If we can’t keep Tsuna out of it, and  _ fuck _ the world for making that a thing, then we’re going to make sure it’s as  _ safe _ and  _ ready _ as possible before he has to even look at it.”

“Nana, we can’t just-”

“Iemitsu,” they cut him off, refusing to back down. “Do you-” they licked their lips, the only show of nervousness. “Do you have my back on this?”

Iemitsu stared at them. Slowly he walked over to them, reaching out to cradle their face in his hands. This wasn’t something that would work. He  _ knew _ that. This was an impossible plan. You didn’t just… just  _ take over _ something that had been around for centuries. 

Nana looked up at him, every bit of strength, stubbornness, and  _ possibility _ that he had fallen in love with staring him right in the eye.

“You do what you need to,” he whispered, kissing their forehead. “I’ve got your back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one hurts in a whole different way...


	7. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When sick:
> 
> Kouske= man baby
> 
> Natsuki= death
> 
> Nana= whiny baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this time of disease and illness... I give you disease and illness. But! In fluff form cause we need it. Also I really wanted to write some more romantic things and the main story won't be able to have too much of it since Nana's off to Italy and Kouske's off to France and Natsuki is staying in Namimori (probably). I need the romance! You all have ingrained it into my very soul!
> 
> So here it is.

Nana hummed to herself as she snailed her way down the aisle. It was late, far later than she would usually go shopping, but she'd had some extra energy to burn and Snake had advised her to take a walk before she burned a hole into the floor of her bedroom.

Luckily there was a twenty-four-hour grocery store just a few blocks away. Nana yawned into her shoulder, grabbing a coffee can to give to Kensuke-kun who was unluckily enough to be on night patrol duty outside. Kid's these days were crazy determined.

Nana wheeled around the bend, slumped far enough over the bar that she could rest her head on her arms. The walk had definitely helped her relax but now she was starting to doze off. She'd grab a milk and go.

Heavy limbed and ready to sleep Nana opened the nice, cool door in the dairy section. She glanced at the only other person besides the workers she had seen in the store. He was grabbing a stick of butter and-

Nana blinked.

"...Kouske?"

Very grumpy, very tired eyes glared at her.

Nana frowned. "You look exhausted, are you okay?"

Kouske stared at her. He squinted. Then, slowly, like he was testing the word. "Nana."

Nana's eyebrows shot straight to her hairline. Abandoning her cart she speed-walked over to him. He grumbled when she stretched up to feel his forehead but didn't pull away.

"Dude," Nana hissed, pressing her other hand to his cheek. He leaned into the touch. "You're burning up. What are you doing out here?"

He didn't answer. Nana patted his cheek a bit. His eyes fluttered open, irritated. "...Natsuki."

"Is she okay? I don't think she'd want you out here."

"Sick."

Nana huffed, amused despite her concern. What a big man-baby. "Yeah, you are. You need to go home and rest."

Kouske scowled and shook his head. "Natsuki is sick."

"Oh shit," Nana pulled her hands down to his arms, supporting him as he leaned into her more. Jesus this guy was heavy. "You're both sick? Is Kyoya sick too?"

She let out a breath of relief when he shook his head. One sick Hibari was a disaster. Two was a sign of the apocalypse she was pretty sure (especially since she'd never once heard of Natsuki getting sick _ever_). Three? The world would be a lost cause.

"Is he taking care of Natsuki while you're out here?"

He shook his head again, resting his forehead on top of hers. Nana flailed a bit, trying to hold him up. "Not home."

Didn't Kyoya say something about going to beat up Mukuro? That was hours ago, surely he'd be back by now.

Or, wait, now that Nana thought about it… yeah. No. Their fights could last days. That was totally normal. It would explain Chrome too.

"Well," Nana grunted, pushing him back fully onto his feet, "I can't let you hang around here when you're sick too. What were you trying to get?"

"I'm not sick," Kouske said. He lifted his hand to flick her forehead and paused when he saw the butter he had grabbed earlier. He frowned.

"How high is your fever?" Nana fretted, pulling it from his hands and putting it back. "Come here."

She slipped his arm over her shoulders, leading him back to the front. She was pretty sure he could walk just fine but that didn't stop him from leaning on her heavily as they went.

"Stay here, okay?" she guided him to one of the little benches they kept at the front. "I'm going to grab some stuff for soup in case you don't have any, okay?"

Kouske stood up, glaring. "...I'm not sick."

Nana deadpanned.

"Of course not," she said robotically. "I'm just so afraid to walk alone this late at night. Would you pretty please wait for me to finish buying your- my things so that we can walk together?"

Gods, his brain must already be halfway melted. Kouske thought about it before nodding and sitting back down.

"Hurry up."

"Of course Your Majesty," Nana did the most dramatic, sarcastic bow she could. She went back to her cart and wheeled down the isles quickly. Most of her things went back on the shelf, she really hadn't _needed_ any of them when she came here. She could always come by again later. Shoveling all the things she needed for her Dad's 'get better quick' Soup she rushed back to the front.

Kouske was poised on his seat like he was in deep, serious thought. Nana was pretty sure he was asleep.

The cashier, a sweet little old lady with hands that surpassed human speed, gave Nana some candy from the side rack.

"Oh," Nana beamed. "Thank you!"

"Of course dear," she smiled back, reaching under the counter to pull out a roll of bandages and antiseptic as well.

"Uh," Nana faltered. "Thank you?"

"If Natsuki-chan is as bad as he is then you're going to need these."

Nana froze.

The little old lady bagged everything without looking, happily taking the card from Nana's fingers and sliding the handles of the bag over her arm.

"There you are," she put the card back in Nana's hand, stuffing the receipt in the bag as well. "Have a wonderful night!"

"You too," Nana wheezed, automated manners kicking in. She walked over to Kouske, stiff-legged and very, very scared.

"_Is Hibari Natsuki particularly aggressive when ill?" _Snake wondered.

"I really hope not," Nana cried under her breath. Kouske was a total nerd but when he was sick he was just a big ol' grumpy marshmallow. Taking care of him was a cakewalk so long as you kept his laptop out of reach.

Natsuki couldn't be that bad, right?

"Kouske," she shook his shoulder gently, checking his temperature again. It was pretty warm, but not to the point they needed to go to the hospital she didn't think. She'd get a more accurate read at his place.

Kouske woke up immediately. "What."

"Let's go," she grunted, pulling him to his feet. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

The second Nana's arm was back around his waist he was using her as a human crutch.

"Why are you so cold?" he muttered.

Nana sighed, smiling. "I stood in the freezer for a bit."

Kouske hummed. "You're an idiot."

"Uh-huh."

They passed Kensuke on their way out. The boy looked ready to have a heart palpitation at the sight of Kouske, which was not good for a boy his age. Nana tossed him the coffee.

"Thank you for working so hard!" she called to him, near dragging Kouske down the other way. "You're doing a wonderful job of making the streets safer! Don't push yourself!"

"T-thank you Sawada-san," he called back, twisting the coffee can in his hands and looking like he'd already gotten the boost of energy he needed.

Sweet kid. _Way_ better than his dumbass parents.

"Did you bring a car or anything?" Nana asked.

"No."

Of _course_ he walked the whole way here.

"_You could always use your Flames."_

"Yeah, but how?" Nana whined. "You know he'd never-"

Hm.

"Hey Kouske?"

"What?"

"I want to train. Would you mind if I used you as a weight?"

The skin around his eyes was tight as he thought hard about what she'd just said. "How?"

"I was thinking of running for a while with extra weight but these groceries just aren't cutting it. Would you mind if I, oh I don't know, carried you to increase my progress?"

They slowed to a standstill as he thought it over.

"You are very small."

Nana lifted her free hand in a universal 'what the fuck' sign.

"Fine," he said.

Then went immediately limp.

"Holy _shit_," Nana barely caught him. "Don't go deadweight like that, what the fuck Kouske?"

"Stop complaining," he huffed, eyes closed. "It was your idea."

"A baby," Nana cursed, activating her Flames and carefully maneuvering him around. "A giant, whiny man-baby."

She couldn't carry him on her back, he was too tall for that. She didn't really want to bridal style either, he'd be folded up a lot and it might make it hard for him to breathe. With a fever like that she didn't want to risk it.

Nodding to herself Nana pulled Kouske over her shoulders in a fireman carry. Wrapping her arm around one of his legs and grabbing his forearm with the same hand she started to jog.

"Why," she panted a few minutes later, "are you. So _heavy."_

Snake, the absolute bastard trash man that he was, chuckled. "_I am fairly sure you've commented on what makes him so heavy. Often."_

"Shut up," Nana flushed, picking up her pace. "Shut the fuck up."

"_Muscle mass, as you know-"_

Nana screamed as she ran. Quietly, of course, since there were still buildings nearby and she didn't want to wake anyone, but loud enough that she could try to drown out the _lier_ in her brain.

Kouske smacked her shoulder blade, annoyed.

Nana shut her mouth and shifted to running fast enough to let the wind drown him out for her.

They made it to the Hibari manor in record time. Nana slid Kouske off her shoulders, steadying him as he swayed in front of the door. He dug out his keys and stared at them.

Nana sighed. She took them from him and opened to door.

Getting Kouske up the stairs and into his room was easy. The problem was that Natsuki wasn't in bed either.

"Where is Natsuki?" Nana asked as she wrapped the blankets around Kouske like a burrito.

"Patrolling."

What? What did that even mean?

"Okay," she said instead. "I'm going to go make some soup, okay? Try to get some rest."

Kouske burrowed into his blanket container and didn't bother to answer.

Nana made her way to the kitchen carefully, keeping her eyes and ears open for Natsuki. Once the soup was started she'd go track the woman down.

Halfway through chopping up an onion Snake shouted "_Flames!" _with enough urgency that Nana covered her entire body instantly.

Something hit her in the side with enough force to send her flying through the wall.

Nana flipped back, dragging her hands along the ground to force herself to a stop. She winced at the damage to the wall and floors but her attention was drawn back to what hit her.

Natsuki lunged, slicing at Nana's head.

"Natsuki!" Nana shrieked, ducking down.

Natsuki grabbed her shoulder, pushing her into the ground. The wood beneath Nana's back cracked.

Nana held her hands up next to her head, going completely still. Natsuki's hair was covering her face but mostly because it was plastered there by the sweat pouring from her skin. Her eyes were shining, teeth bared viciously.

Nana took back everything she had ever said about Kyoya being like his father. Personality aside, he clearly took after his mother in looks.

"Natsuki," Nana tried again. A hand gripped her throat, threatening. "Kouske is upstairs in bed."

Nana kept her voice level and calm. Her Flames were still on so she wasn't too worried about her neck, even when the grip on it tightened for a second at Kouske's name.

"He wasn't feeling very well. I brought some things to make soup. It's all on the counter."

Natsuki breathed sharply through her nose, frowning.

"He's safe," Nana promised. "But he needs to eat and take medicine."

She did too, clearly, but Nana didn't want to push her abysmal luck any further.

Natsuki slid her hand to Nana's chin, tugging it up. Nana spluttered, turning a fiery shade of red when Natsuki leaned down to brush her nose along her neck.

"U-um," she warbled. "W-whatcha' doing there?"

Natsuki pulled back, her brows furrowed. "...Nana?"

"Yup!" Nana coughed when her voice reached a frankly embarrassing pitch. "T-that's me!"

Natsuki slowly released her, pulling back. She looked angry. "Did I hurt you?"

"N-nope," Nana pushed herself up, realized how close that would put her to Natsuki's face, and laid back down. "Not even a scratch."

Natsuki grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet fast enough to make her stumble. She flipped on the lights in the kitchen and looked Nana over.

She looked even worse in the light. The bags under her eyes were huge. When was the last time she slept?

"You're really not hurt," Natsuki's face smoothed out, though her eyes were still shining. She looked weirdly impressed.

"I'm pretty tough," Nana promised, flexing her arm exaggeratedly.

Natsuki huffed, then pinched the bridge of her nose.

Nana stepped forwards, worried. "Hey, are you okay? You should sit down-"

"No," Natsuki lowered her hand, tense. "Why are you here?"

Nana motioned to the stove. "I ran into Kouske at the store. He said you were sick and he wasn't looking too good either. He was running a fever when I checked so I figured you guys could do with a good meal and some rest."

"He was… at the store," Natsuki said slowly, her nostrils flaring. "He snuck past me."

Nana wasn't sure that she really wanted to know the connotations of that. Instead, she reached out for Natsuki's shoulder.

Natsuki's neck snapped to her when she did, wide pupils slitting in a way that made Nana swallow.

"W-why don't you go lay down with him? I'll bring you both some soup and medicine and you can make sure he doesn't go wandering around again."

"No," Natsuki nearly hissed, coiling tight. "No, it's not safe."

Nana licked her lips, uncertain.

"_Both Hibari Kyoya and Hibari Natsuki seem to react in a more primal nature than others. With her husband sick and her son away she might be concerned that her own weakened state will leave Hibari Kouske open for attack."_

Who would be dumb enough to attack them? Nana was pretty sure that even if the were absolutely bed-ridden they'd still be able to snap someone's neck with their mind alone.

Still, Natsuki was _burning_ underneath her hand.

"What if I kept watch for you?" Nana asked.

Natsuki stared at her.

"Uh, I mean, I'm not as strong as you two, obviously, but I think I'm pretty good. Good enough to warn you in time if anything is going wrong, at least."

Natsuki's eyes flicked to the demolished wall and back. They narrowed, thoughtful.

"Natsuki," Nana said softly, stepping closer and squeezing her shoulder. "You're burning up. So is Kouske. If you two don't rest you're going to get a lot worse. I'm pretty sure he tried to leave because he was worried about you. If you're with him then he won't leave and you can keep him in your sights right?"

Natsuki stretched her fingers out, curling them in and out with her breathing. "You… are very fast," she said slowly.

Nana preened a bit.

"And… your skin is inhumanely strong."

"That's my Flames," Nana explained.

Natsuki looked at the ingredients on the stove. "How long can you do that?"

"Use my Flames? A couple of hours at least. Less if I'm actively moving but more if I'm doing something like meditating."

Natsuki cracked her knuckles one-handed. Less in an intimidating way and more in a subconscious tick kind of way. She walked over to the stove and turned it off.

"Wha- hey!" Nana tried to stop her. "You guys need to eat!"

Natsuki grabbed her wrist and marched up the stairs. "We already ate."

"I don't believe you, like, at all, but you also need medicine."

Natsuki paused. She detoured to the bathroom across from their bedroom, slamming the mirrored shelf open and grabbed the first bottle. She popped two tablets in her mouth as they moved, fast approaching the bed where Kouske was now peering out at them blearily. His face lit up when he saw Natsuki.

Nana was still trying to escape but she couldn't help but stop and go 'awwwww' when he unraveled the blankets and held his arms out.

Natsuki let go of Nana for a moment, leaning down to hug him. She lifted him up and handed him two tablets of his own. He swallowed easily.

Natsuki turned back to Nana. "Use your Flames."

"Um. What?"

"Make your skin strong."

She didn't seem to be in the mood for a discussion, and she _had_ taken some medicine. Nana's skin sparked green as she hardened everywhere except her joints. She shrieked a bit when Natsuki picked her up.

"Lay down," she ordered Kouske. He did so easily, splayed out on his back.

"Um," Nana said when Natsuki laid her down. _On top of Kouske._ "UM!"

Natsuki rearranged her until she was covering the majority of Kouske's torso. Nana's head was just under his chin. Kouske looked down at her, one eyebrow raised.

Natsuki crawled into the bed then, tugging the blankets up around them and curling protectively around Kouske's head.

Nana was shaking, brain exploding.

"_Ah_," Snake piped in with a laugh. "_You're practically bulletproof right now Nana. She wants you to make sure nothing hits him in their sleep."_

"Ah," Nana mimicked, sounding far more strangled than he had. "O-of course."

Of course her ass! What the fuck?! How was she- how was she supposed to handle this?!

Kouske relaxed fully beneath her. She could feel it. The way all the muscles in his chest just, untensed. She could- she could feel it.

Fuck. What- she couldn't- aaaahhhhhhhhhh!

Natsuki breathed slowly. "Wake me up. If you need to stop."

Then she curled one arm beneath Kouske's arm to hug it to her chest better and tangled the other lightly in Nana's hair.

Nana locked her jaw so she didn't scream.

"_Don't forget to text Tsunayoshi when the sun rises. You wouldn't want him to worry about where you've run off to."_

Nana took all of the startled, mushy, _not to be looked at_ emotions and funneled them into hating Snake. He was such a bitch. Such a know it all. She bet he looked like a moldy apple. With worms. A crab apple!

An arm wrapped around her stomach.

She nearly bit through her own tongue.

-00-

Kouske woke up surrounded by warmth. The sun was already up.

He allowed himself to wake up slowly. He'd taken a few days off of work once he noticed the signs in Natsuki that she was falling ill. She always got worse when he had to leave. The house staff was gone for a week as well. No need for any more property damage.

Something tickled his nose.

Kouske opened his eyes to a strand of light brown hair on his nose. He frowned at it.

Natsuki was curled around his head, breathing softly.

Nana was on his chest. They were awake, the pure tension running through them made that obvious. They were laying on him.

Kouske thought back to the previous night.

Ah. Nana brought him home when they ran into him at the store. Why was she laying on him? Natsuki had done it, hadn't she? Of course, Nana could make their skin like steel. They were like a bulletproof vest.

He was feeling a lot better this morning. His fever must have broken at some point. Good, that meant he could actually get something done today. He'd make Natsuki breakfast in bed since she was sleeping so peacefully. Nana must have been up all night as well, he would need to give his thanks.

Normally his wife would wake up immediately if he left. Luckily, he had a nice little decoy to use.

Kouske sat up, holding Nana steady so they didn't tumble and fall when they flinched. Kouske scooted to the edge of the bed, lifting Nana and setting them where he had been. He pulled his shirt over his head.

"_Fucking holy mother of-"_ Nana whispered harshly.

Kouske smirked at them when they shielded their eyes like an embarrassed teenager. He tugged at their arms and shoved the shirt over their head.

"_What_ are you doing?!" Nana shrieked, fighting him. Kouske flicked them and finished yanking their arms through the holes. Then he shoved them into Natsuki's arms.

Natsuki breathed in deeply once and wrapped herself around Nana.

Nana froze. If Kouske didn't know any better he would assume they were getting sick as well.

He smirked.

"Stay there," Kouske ordered. "Good morning," he tacked on as an afterthought.

Nana didn't seem to hear him. They were too busy staring bug-eyed at Natsuki. Good.

Kouske stretched as he went downstairs. He paused to take in the damaged wall and floor (he wished he could have seen that) before going over to ingredients left out by the stove.

A simple soup, mostly done. He just needed to heat it up. The onions hadn't been added yet but he had fresh ones in the fridge instead of the ones that had been left out all night. While he waited he went out onto the patio and plucked two of the fully bloomed lilies Kyoya had planted. He put them in a little vase on the food tray. As soon as everything was ready he filled up three bowls, grabbed some bread rolls and silverware, and went back up. It was a lovely day to spend working in bed, taking care of Natsuki. As soon as Nana started thinking again they would undoubtedly start arguing with him as well.

Kouske very nearly smiled.

-00-

**The next day**

"That is _not_ how that works," Nana sniffled. She glared at the computer screen even though it made her head hurt.

"You don't know how any of this works," Kouske rebuffed, typing away. Natsuki's fever had broken the night before but it seemed to transfer onto Nana. Since they had been kind enough to look after the two of them while they were sick Natsuki had called Nana's son and informed him that they would make sure Nana was well taken care of. They couldn't have all those kids getting sick, or heavens forbid Lavina. It was really for the best that Nana stayed with them.

Tsunayoshi had seemed very mournful, wishing Nana to live their moments happily. Nana had sobbed dramatically of course but at least they weren't frozen anymore. Their face was still far redder then their temperature dictated but they seemed to be adjusting.

"I know some!" Nana argued, bundled up to their neck and pouting. Natsuki turned the page in her book, leaning against Nana as a pillow. She looked over to see what they were arguing about.

"You made a mistake in paragraph three love," she commented, returning to her reading.

"Ha!" Nana cheered.

"That isn't even the part you were complaining about," Kouske rolled his eyes, reworking the third paragraph. This was the fourth time he was writing about this procedure, translating it into German this time, which was better than having to re-write it.

A timer on Kouske's phone went off.

"Noooo," Nana whined.

He should have guessed, they always got whinier when their medicine was wearing off.

Natsuki plucked the bottle and glass of water of the side table and held it up. "Your fever should break soon Nana, just a few more times."

"Okay," Nana sniffed, dragging their hands from their prison and taking the medicine. Once they were done they flopped back down.

Kouske shared a glance with Natsuki.

He lifted his arm, pulling Nana in so they were resting on him more. "Go to sleep. You've been awake too long."

Nana froze again but they relaxed more quickly once Natsuki started running her hands through their hair.

"...Kay."

The medicine kicked in a few moments later and they were snoring softly into his side.

Natsuki looked down at Nana's side, eyes bright. "They didn't even bruise where I hit them."

Kouske hummed, closing his laptop and turning to his wife. He kept a careful hold on Nana, letting them rest in the crook of his arm. "We will need to test the limits of that."

Natsuki leaned over and kissed him. He smiled into it.

He laid down fully, tilted towards her so she could run her fingers through his hair now. He tucked the blankets more firmly around Nana and relaxed as Natsuki began to read aloud.

This would be a good memory to draw from whenever he grew impatient. A promise of what was to come. He always hated waiting, but he knew the value in it.

Natsuki smiled down at them when Kouske's breathing evened out. She brushed his hair out of his face, then Nana's. Nana's face scrunched up. They buried their face into Kouske's chest, making him tighten his grip.

It was a very pretty picture. Natsuki grabbed her phone.

Things were progressing wonderfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm all twittery and happy. Writing this filled my soul with cheery little bubbles.


	8. Competition: Start! (SNanaBari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> May the odds be ever in your favor ;D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You fools. You absolute monsters. Do you know what you have done?! You have given me a fixation! Gosh darn it, I have enough of those as it is! I was writing the next chapter and was all 'awww, I won't get much NanaBari stuff for a while' and then... THEN I had IDEAS! For future things to come! I can't think about future things to come, I still have present things to do!
> 
> And yet, here we are. Long into the future, after all the Canon plot is done and over with. How dare. HOW DARE!
> 
> This one is totally set up after Canon plot though. Nana is, at this point, well aware of the Hibaris intentions and is reciprocating! Snake is there now too. He's a precious bean. Just a heads up for those that fear spoilers I am writing this in a very specific setting. You'll see what I mean. There will be no mentions of huge plot events except that things are pretty much wrapped up. Besides the children that are already in Nana's life at this point in the main story no other children will be mentioned (until, you know, they show up in the main story). Snake will never be physically described besides facial reactions like smiling, frowning, (blushing) etc. Fear no spoilers! There's also a very important question for you, if you're interested, at the end. My gift to you, if you like this, and cause I love you all so much.
> 
> Also, the fixation thing. I need an outlet. You honestly have no idea how much absolute trash for this I have written over the last few days that I dare not post until I have calmed the frick down and I can look at it logically. Like... damn.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Nana had a goal.

It was, by and far, one of the most unrealistic goals in his entire life but by gods was he going to get it done.

Taking over the mafia? Child's play.

Raising several children of differing age groups and backgrounds? Cakewalk.

Beating some mother loving self-respect into Snake's body, mind, and soul? Admittedly, that one was taking a while. But at least he could _see_ the baby steps of progress with that one!

All of those things were more realistically possible than Nana's latest endeavor.

Make Kouske blush and fluster more than Nana did.

It sounded like a fool's errand, he knew. In all the years they had known each other the only times Nana had ever seen the man blush was when he was sick, when Natsuki did something particularly adorable, or that one time in Italy that Nana couldn't think about without losing control of themselves entirely as they screeched, flailed, and made an overall embarrassment of themselves. That one didn't count. It had to be _Kouske_ that was the most flustered, so Nana had to find a way to get to Kouske without also sacrificing his own dignity.

Luckily, he had the ultimate weapon.

Natsuki.

Natsuki was not a part of this competition. Even against Kouske it was obvious how that one would turn out. She was not a flustered woman. Ever. Any embarrassing events she would just roll with, laugh at, or punch away. And accidental hand touches, tripping into, or typical romance scenarios that would make a person go at least a little red only ended up with Natsuki's confidence exploding ten-fold and turning whoever her target was into a literal pile of mush.

Nana was never prepared for that. Hell, _Kouske_ was never prepared for that, so they had both agreed that the competition would be between each other and the only time either of them was allowed to pull Natsuki into their schemes was for advice. Snake was also not allowed because he was a skittish little baby lamb when confronted and they all agreed to let him find his own way.

Natsuki had given that little laugh that let them know that they had been unwittingly playing a game already and had, by speaking, lost. She agreed to the terms so long as she could pick the overal setting.

And that she decided both the prize and punishment for the victor/loser.

The fact that Kouske hesitated to agree told Nana all he needed to know about the outcome of that.

Nana was prepared though! He had approached Natsuki like the Queen she was, offering baked goods and a beautiful flower bouquet from his garden, before making his case.

Nana already blushed a lot. It took a single glance to kick out his knees, what fun would this competition be if Kouske had a resounding win? Not only would Natsuki's entertainment value be halved but she would miss out on the chance of (somehow) getting Kouske to emote the best of expressions! Nana was not above bribery so he also promised to cook/bake whatever Natsuki wanted whenever she deigned to gift Nana with her knowledge.

Kouske almost beat out his offer when he told Natsuki his counterargument.

"I love you," Kouske said simply.

Natsuki was, of course, torn.

"I l-love you too!" Nana shouted, throwing his hand up in the air. "N-not for as, um, long. Of course. But still a lot!"

Nana had very nearly thrown up his entire heart and his left lung to shout such a proclamation but it was worth it! He had seen the amusement and fondness in her eyes and Kouske had even clicked his tongue!

"I will help both of you, of course," Natsuki promised, resting her chin on her hand with a sneaky smile. "And I do want something in return for my help, since I can not join in."

"Anything," they both promised.

Which might have been a mistake.

"Good," Natsuki lifted her phone. "When are you wanting to officially start this little… competition?"

Nana looked at Kouske. He shrugged.

"Once the rehabilitation program has passed its first milestone I can take some time off," Nana thought it through. "Caterina and Beatrice have everything handled over in Italy and the kids are starting up with school in a few days."

"Two weeks then," Natsuki decided. "The time frame is a month. Is that acceptable?"

They both nodded. It was a little longer than Nana had expected but he'd meant it when he said everything was being taken care of already. Besides some oversight and the occasional nudge in the right direction, even his kids were being weirdly self-sufficient lately.

Suspiciously self-sufficient.

"A month right?" was what Tsuna said when Nana told him they'd be going on a trip for a while.

"Lambo-san is in charge!" Lambo cackled, not at all sounding surprised.

I-Pin gave Nana her lucky dragon charm. Futa just smiled mysteriously.

"Did you all know about this?!" Nana demand when Snake patted his head mockingly.

"Of course we did," he rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised it took this long. Go take a vacation Nana, you deserve it."

"It's a competition!"

Snake smirked, fingers brushing Nana's wrist like they always did when they were near each other. "Of course it is."

Nana was not to be deterred. He held Snake's hand as he packed two weeks later. It was kind of awkward doing it one-handed but he didn't mind.

"Is your stuff already packed?" Nana looked over at the closet. "I didn't see any of your things missing."

Snake blinked, pulling out the fourth shirt Nana had folded and tossing it in the discard pile. Apparently Nana wasn't to be trusted when choosing what outfits to bring.

"...What?"

"Your stuff," Nana said slowly, scowling when he wouldn't let them pack the rainbow ski jacket with zebra-striped arms. "We're going skiing Snake, I need that!"

"You do not," he said, throwing it to the side. "Why would I need to pack my things?"

"Because you're coming too?" Nana tugged at his arm so he would follow them to the closet. "Natsuki didn't really give me exact details of where we're going but she said to pack for all kinds of weather and that we'd be swimming, skiing, and mountain climbing at some point."

"All things I do not want to do," Snake stopped.

"I know," Nana assured him. "You can sit with Natsuki. These are just setups for Kouske and I to try to kill each other."

Snake frowned. "I thought you were trying to do the opposite."

"Kill with love," Nana patted his hand before letting go for a second to grab the second suitcase in the back. "For the most part."

Snake was silent for a while, just following Nana around.

"...Do they know I am coming?"

"Of course," Nana zipped up their shower stuff. "Natsuki wanted to know if you'd ever been to a place called Cheval Blanc?"

Snake leaned against Nana, resting his chin on their head. "I've heard of it, but I've never had the chance to eat there."

"Ohh, so it's a restaurant," Nana tapped off his checklist on his fingers. "Do you want to try it out? She thinks you'll like it."

Nana could feel his jaw work against his head. It was a lot easier to read Snake now, with all the physical signs to see. Snake had a terrible poker face.

"I do not wish to get in the way-"

Nana whirled around, tugging at a strand of Snake's hair. Then he cupped the tall man's face to make him lean down a bit. "We all want you there. You're the only one that understands all of Kouske's medical talk, you know he loves to hear your opinions on it."

"They're not opinions Nana," Snake looked like he'd sucked on a lemon. "I offer only factual input based off of various cases that went undocumented."

Nana pinched his cheekbones lightly before smoothing their thumbs over them gently. "You and Natsuki have this really weird telepathic thing going on. As someone that actually shares a telepathic bond with you, it's super disturbing when you guys just… have a full-on conversation with your eyebrows. I'm pretty sure you-"

"We can not read each other's minds," Snake said for the seventeenth time. He brought his hands up to hold Nana's wrists but he didn't pull them away.

"Right. Sure," Nana said. "I don't believe you, but!" he cut in quickly before Snake could start talking again, "I also want you there! Even more than they do, don't let them try to win you over by saying otherwise!"

Snake closed his eyes, letting Nana hold his head up for him.

Nana pressed their foreheads together. "I'm not going anywhere without you Snake. Not ever again. We made a promise, didn't we?"

"Yes," he said, softened in a way that made Nana smile.

"Then you're coming with," Nana patted his cheek lightly, pulling back a bit. "Am I forgetting to pack anything?"

"Your passport."

"Shit, that would've been so bad!" Nana hugged him quickly, bouncing towards the door. "Don't replace all the clothes I packed! You need more color in your wardrobe!"

Snake was already unzipping the one Nana had made for him. "Your clothes would not fit me anyway."

"It could be a new style!" Nana yelled down the hallway. "Set the trend!"

"TREND!" Lambo screamed back from somewhere downstairs.

Snake laughed, re-packing his suitcase, as well as Nana's. Besides the monstrosity that was Nana's ski jacket, he didn't have any other. Snake went into the closet and grabbed the one Tsuyoshi and Aiko had gifted him over the holidays. He didn't plan on skiing, simply observing with some hot chocolate and perhaps a nice book, so Nana could use his. If they were going to be trying to do anything other than disgust Kouske they would need a far better color scheme.

"Got em'," Nana rushed back in. Snake was sitting on his side of the bed, reading a travel pamphlet. "Did you mess with anything?"

"You know better than to ask," Snake replied, turning to the back.

Nana opened his mouth to argue.

His phone buzzed.

**LadyBari: **If you wish to win this little competition of yours, my dear, I would advise you to allow Snake to pick your wardrobe.

Nana clicked his tongue. "...Fine."

Snake smirked, eyebrow rising.

Nana's phone buzzed again.

**LadyBari: **Tell him I said thank you, that was very sweet.

"_How_ the _fuck_ do you guys do that?!" Nana threw his hands up in the air.

Snake held out his hand, shrugging.

Nana took it, twining their fingers together and sitting next to him. He squinted at the pamphlet. "That one looks cool."

Snake pulled a pen from his pocket and marked it with a star. He tilted the papers so Nana could see better. "Anything else?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, you've made me do a really weird tournament arc. Look at this. Look what your excitement, support, and ideas has given me. LOOK AT IT!
> 
> On to the important question- it is from Nana!
> 
> Nana: How the actual frick do I do this?!
> 
> Meaning- give Nana advice and see it put in action. The competition is that the two of them try to out flirt, fluster, generally woo the other person. The judges are Natsuki and Snake (who will be doing their own thing in the background) From you, dear viewers, you can offer tips, tricks, locations, pick up lines, and other such things. Nana needs some serious help. You get one question to Natsuki/Snake (from either Nana's or Kouske's perspective) that can not involve strong spoilers to the story but other than that is free for all!
> 
> Some people were telling me that the fluff was seriously helping them out. I can only imagine. The next handful of chapters for the main story are gonna be pretty intense so those good feels aren't going to be there for a lot of it. I love you all and I want to help out in this tiny little way so please, if you want to see fluff then allow me. Have a few more tiny stars, however many I can give.


	9. Competition: Dress-Up (SNanaBari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Challenge: Each competitor is in charge of picking the others outfit for the dinner that evening. It has to be something the chooser finds genuinely attractive.
> 
> Point System: Each competitor is judged based on a variety of tells, all tallying up to the comprehensive 'fluster total'. Snake will be judging the amount of points Kouske earns being the most familiar with Nana's habits and tells. Natsuki, for similar reasons, will be judging how many points Nana earns. Competitors are not allowed to argue with the judge's final decision.
> 
> Bribery: Is acceptable but only for information. A competitor can not bribe a judge to reduce or increase any points.
> 
> Natsuki is the game master. Snake is her ever trusted advisor.
> 
> Sign below to show agreement to these terms.
> 
> Sawada Nana
> 
> Hibari Kouske

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First challenge! Offered up by the wonderful, darling dear Meteor13 (from over on Ao3) who suggested that Nana let themself be used as a dress-up doll for one afternoon. They said the magic words of cuddle puddle too, so there's that.

Nana held up the navy blue shirt, squinting a bit. "Hey, Kouske."

He turned to her from the other side of the room. Nana leaned back a bit so the shirt vaguely matched his outline.

"Nah," Nana shook her head, putting it back. It was nice, but not nice _enough. _"Nevermind."

Kouske went back to frowning at his line of clothes with heavy judgment.

Nana had been doubtful when Natsuki had proposed this as their first order of business. Clothes shopping wasn't usually an activity she enjoyed doing with Kouske and she knew the feeling was mutual. Shopping _for_ each other had seemed like the same thing so Nana hadn't been very excited.

Then Kouske tried on the black and gold men's corset vest Nana had picked out and suddenly everything got a whole hell of a lot more interesting.

Damn.

Nana had that particular piece of clothing set reverently on the front counter. It had seemed a little excessive, having the owners close up shop for the day so the four of them could browse and dress up at their leisure but it also meant Nana could ooh, aah, and oggle as much as she damn well pleased without feeling embarrassed. Natsuki knew her husband was a handsome ass man and Snake had an appreciation for beauty so they totally got where Nana was coming from.

"Try this," Kouske ordered, throwing something at Nana so it fell over her face.

Nana pulled it off, sticking her tongue at him but skipping into the dressing room. The shirt was pretty, and simple enough that Nana wouldn't mind wearing it on a normal day. Dark blue with the long sleeves very gradually fading to a lighter blue until they turned white. The back was dipped low, showing off the shoulder blades and the upper half of her back.

Nana stepped out and flapped her arms a bit. The sleeves were wide enough to flow softly against her arms, she loved that shit.

Kouske looked her over appraisingly. Nana turned when he motioned for it.

"Flex," he said.

Nana did a dramatic Hercules pose.

"Mh," Kouske sighed. "Not quite."

"No good?" Nana looked over her shoulder at him.

"Keep it," he waved his hand, moving back towards the shirts he'd been browsing. "It looks good."

But not good enough. Nana had noticed that most of the things he had been giving her showcased her muscles in one way or another. Which made sense, considering…

Nana looked over at the pair lazing around on the decorative couch they had dragged from the front.

Natsuki was lounged back, stretched long ways across the couch. Her legs were propped up, muscled thighs and calves on full display in her grey shorts. She'd long since shucked off her jacket, leaving her shoulders and arms bare in her black tank top. She had a book held easily in one hand, careful finger coordination allowing her to use her other hand to comb through Snake's hair leisurely. Snake was sitting on a pile of cushions next to the head of the couch, leaning into the touch like a pleased cat as he read his own book. Occasionally the two would read a paragraph or two aloud to share.

Nana kind of wanted to cuddle.

"That color looks nice on you Nana," Snake glanced up, pressing his thumb to his page to hold his place. "Personally I preferred the last one more."

"It was more flowy," Nana flapped her arms again. "It felt nice."

"It must be hard," Natsuki mused, sounding warm and content with a bit of mischief, "finding something that you like while also catering to… outside desires."

Kouske sent her an unamused look.

Nana grinned, skipping over to him. "Awww, were you trying to make sure I liked it? I'm sorry Kouske, I was honestly only choosing what I thought you would look good in." Which was half the store, cause damn this man looked good in anything. "What kind of clothes do you prefer?"

"Ones that match," he said dryly.

"Ha ha," Nana matched his tone mockingly. "I've been doing pretty well, if I do say so myself."

And she had been! Nana didn't mind wearing anything extra colorful or things that clashed because she thought they were cute and they made her smile, but she knew Kouske wasn't that kind of person. He was fashionable as heck, even his casual wear looked professional.

"I have noticed," Kouske allowed. "Try this on."

"But it's my turn," Nana pouted, catching the pants and shirt with one hand.

"Do you have something picked out?"

"No."

"Then try them on."

"Fine," Nana made sure to sound extra petulant, just to jab at him. He flicked the back of her head when she turned away. "Ouch!"

He snorted.

What a little shit.

The pants were nice, sleek dress pants. They were snug against her hips but they loosened up past her calves and around her ankles. Nana kicked her leg in and out the feel the silky texture rub against her skin. The shirt was a white men's dress shirt. Nana slipped it on, buttoning it up to the neck. She stared at herself in the mirror, turning back and forth. Should she tuck it in?

She tried it. It didn't look too bad.

Nana stepped out with her hands on her hips.

"No."

Kouske sounded like she had personally insulted him.

"What?" she looked down at herself.

Kouske tugged the shirt out from the waistline, brushing out the small wrinkles. He reached for her collar.

Nana blinked at him, bug-eyed. He paused.

"May I?" he asked, lowering his voice.

"Um," Nana said, because it was so rare to hear him ask permission for anything and he was speaking very softly and standing _very close_. "Yeah. Of course."

With careful precision Kouske undid the top two buttons, tugging at the tips of the collar to show off her collarbone more. Then, far more gently, he lifted her arms and undid the cuffs. He took her left arm, rolling the sleeve up to just above her elbow, thumb brushing with a light press in the crease of her skin. He did the same to the right, twisting her arm to make sure the fold was even.

Normally, at this point, Nana would be steaming from the ears with a brain so mushed she wouldn't be able to think a coherent thought for the next ten minutes. But she had been prepared for this, unlike all those other times. She had built up a wavering immunity and she had a goal this time!

So it only took her two minutes to think a coherent thought. Which was about how long Kouske took to finish fixing the clothes to his standards. If Nana wanted to win some points (because even though Snake and Natsuki weren't looking directly at them right now they absolutely knew Nana was losing right now) she would need to actually act on the first impulse she usually suppressed and ruthlessly killed.

When Kouske pulled away Nana grabbed his hand. She pressed their palms together, lifting their hands and twining their fingers together between them.

"Thanks," she smiled as confidently as she could. She had to close her eyes, blind herself to the a_rt_ mere inches from her face. Then she turned on her heel and marched back into the dressing room.

...pulling Kouske with her.

Kouske snorted.

Nana let go, ears burning. She could hear Snake chuckling to himself like the little shit he was. She didn't even want to know how Natsuki had reacted.

"There's a sweater on the chair next to the pants I was looking through! Grab the brown pair of pants on the floor and try them both on!" Nana shouted to force the waver in her voice out. Why was it always the soft, barely even there touches that got to her so much? They'd already- already… well, more than touched an _arm_ but it still shook her to her core.

Nana shook herself. She had this. She could totally do this!

Kouske looked at her with the barest purse of his lips when she stepped back out and she had to throw herself back in because holy _fuck_ he was _pouting_!

"Nana," he sighed when she started laughing.

"No, no, I'm sorry," she waved her arms, stepping back out. "I'm not- I'm not laughing at the look."

It was a knitted brown sweater, purposefully a few sizes too big. Kouske had rolled the sleeves up once so they would rest at his wrists instead of below his fingertips.

"Oooh," Nana hopped over, delighted. "I wasn't actually sure how this would look on you! This is usually something someone adorable would pull off and you're always so sharp I didn't know if it would have the same effect."

Kouske looked at himself in the body length mirror between the two dressing rooms. He frowned.

"You pull it off," Nana assured, dancing around him and tugging at certain places to create a more rumpled appearance. "I really like it. I kind of want to just wrap you up in a big blanket while it snows with some hot chocolate and those little sugar cookies you and Lavina make. All cuddled up as we watch a movie or read or something."

Kouske watched her flutter around, frown melting away.

"You look wonderful, love," Natsuki was sitting up a bit. She looked enamored.

Nana whipped her head back to Kouske, watching closely.

His jaw shifted, just slightly, to the left.

Oh.

Nana grabbed something off of the pile Kouske had made and rushed back into the fitting room.

Kouske spoke in the tiniest of facial movements. Years of careful observation has given Nana a pretty good understanding of most of them but in this particular competition she was missing some key reactions.

The jaw shift to the left wasn't new, Nana had seen it before, but she had never been able to place the emotion it was tied to. To the right was usually genuine amusement. It wasn't embarrassment because that was all in the eyebrows. Adoration was in the creases in the corners of his eyes and the shine of his iris. Anger was his hands (specifically his pinky and index finger). Blinking could mean a few things, depending on the focus of his gaze and the length of the blink. Sadness, genuine sadness, was in his shoulders. Stress made him coil up but sadness weighed him down.

Nana had categorized a lot of things about Kouske. Probably more than she should have but he was a hard man to look away from. There were only a few things a new reaction could mean.

Given the context, the limited options, and the fact that Natsuki had been the one to draw it from him right then Nana would place a lot of money on this one being shyness.

Suddenly several moments made a lot of sense and Nana kind of wanted to beat their past self for not taking advantage of the situations when they happened!

Agh, god, she was such an idiot!

"_Assuming you are having another mental breakdown, or panicking about some past mistake you've only just now realized, I thought you would like to know that we only have another hour before our dinner reservation."_

"Thank you!" Nana called. Telepathy was so handy, even if it was one-sided.

Something was tossed over the door.

"That one," Kouske said.

Nana looked at it. It was cute as heck. It was a light, pastel green dress that came down to her mid-thigh. It was sleeveless, using a long ribbon to tie around her neck. It took her a minute to figure out that the rest of it was supposed to come down to cross at her stomach so she could tie it behind her. The bow rested just below the middle of her back with the rest of her back, shoulders, and arms being bare. Nana added the similarly colored shorts from earlier. They were paperbag shorts so the creases made them puff up a bit. Nana thought it made the dress look cuter.

She twirled out dramatically.

Natsuki made an appreciated noise that made Nana want to twirl right back in again. Things were kind of falling apart. Escaping several times in less than ten minutes? Nana was definitely going to lose.

Kouske was watching Nana with a narrow-eyed gaze. He had changed out of the sweater which meant either he didn't like it or Nana had been totally right about the shyness thing. She was totally buying him, like, twenty sweaters.

"Flex," he twirled his finger around.

Nana spun, flexing her arms dramatically.

Kouske blinked once, slowly.

Nana couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "Really? I thought this one was pretty cute."

"What?" he frowned.

"You do that thing," she pointed at his eyes. "Where you blink really slow. You only do that if you're annoyed about something or you think I'm being stupid."

Kouske's eyebrows furrowed, just a bit.

"That is not always the case Nana," Natsuki sounded far too amused.

"The dress is perfect," Kouske said, nearly over Natsuki.

Nana shared a surprised look with Snake. Natsuki just laughed.

"I pick that one," Kouske decided.

"Oh, um," Nana stepped forwards, feeling bad. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad about it, I like a lot of the other things you picked too. You don't have to pick this one Kouske."

Uh-oh. His fingers twitched.

"That one," he stressed, glaring, "is perfect. I pick that one."

"Okay!" Nana held her hands up. "It's your choice! I still have to pick mine though."

"Not the sweater?" Natsuki was sitting up fully now, leaning her chin on her hands with a curling little smirk.

Snake was still reading (or pretending to, he hadn't turned the page in a while). He jumped a little when Natsuki pressed her leg against his shoulder but he relaxed into it quickly.

Nana felt a warm bubble in her heart. Now that physical touch was something Snake could just _have_, he sought it out like a moth to flame. He'd gotten so used to it from Nana that he started feeling anxious if he went too long by himself, even if Nana was in the room. At first it had only been Nana he could handle being near. Tsuna was quick to follow, but Snake had a bigger soft spot for him than he did for even Nana. The kids were good with tactile touch but any other adult made Snake uncomfortable if he wasn't eased into it very slowly. It was… it was an amazing feeling to see him relax into another person's touch so quickly.

"Nana?" Snake looked at her, concerned.

Nana looked away, staring at the lights to dry up her eyes. "I love the sweater a lot, but it's too hot out," she said. "I like the dark blue jeans from earlier the best so far, I'm probably going to go with those, but I don't know about the shirt yet."

"Well, we have at least another half hour," Natsuki was staring at her now. She glanced down at Snake. Watching Nana carefully she dragged her fingers carefully through Snake's hair, soothing it back into place. Snake looked like a cat mere moments from sleep.

Nana practically melted.

"Very sweet," Natsuki said.

Nana smiled at her brightly.

It took a while to find the perfect shirt. Nana didn't want to go too fancy, hence the jeans, since Kouske so rarely wore casual clothing. His idea of 'casual' was dress pants and a fancy shirt. She didn't want to take him too far out of his comfort zone though, this was supposed to be enjoyable for everyone, so she ended up picking out a nice button-up similar to the white one she had worn earlier.

This one was a dark, dark green. It probably said something about her, considering the fact that she felt a bit of a claim over green (she pointedly ignored Snakes little _look_) but she was supposed to pick what she found attractive!

Nana rolled his sleeves up this time, though far more haphazardly than he had. She also made sure to undo the top _four_ buttons.

"What?" she said as innocently as possible when he rolled his eyes. "I like to look."

Ah.

His jaw shifted to the left.

Nana took a second to process this. She nearly cracked her neck to look at Natsuki.

Natsuki nodded, looking inordinately pleased.

Holy shit. It was the _compliments!_ How?! How did someone like _Kouske_ get shy about- about fricken factual laws of the world! Wait, no, was it compliments? Nana complimented him all the time, telling him he was beautiful, and handsome, and too pretty to be real.

But she'd always said it sarcastically, angrily, or followed by a curse word. She'd never said it like this, calmly with direct eye contact.

With her hand on his chest.

Genuine, no extra meaning besides being a straight-up compliment

must be what it was. Complete honesty.

Nana stepped closer, awed. "...You are literally the most handsome person I have ever seen in my entire life."

Kouske watched her carefully. His jaw twitched. "Nana," he warned.

"The amount of care and skill you show in taking care of people is inspiring," Nana continued.

Kouske's foot shifted back.

Nana had already told Natsuki she loved her. In a shouty, panicky way, sure, but she had meant it. She loved all of her friends and family from the depths of her soul but Natsuki, Kouske, and Snake were special. It was easier to tell Snake, because she had been telling him for years and the truth in her love for him was like an unending river. Natsuki was… difficult (she still squirmed and screeched when she thought about it) but far easier than Kouske. Nana had never gone with her first, most base emotional impulse when it came to Kouske. That just wasn't the kind of relationship they had. It was _harder_ to be completely open and honest with him about something like this and Nana wasn't sure she could really put into words why that was. It just was.

So she couldn't quite go there yet. She wasn't ready and even with how gentle and affectionate Kouske had been lately she was pretty sure he wasn't ready either.

So she went for the next best thing.

"You are the coolest person I have ever met," Nana took his hand, squeezing it. "I really like you, and I'm grateful every day for having you in my life."

Then she hugged him.

Hugging Kouske was always awesome. Kouske hugging _back_ was nirvana.

Nana squished her eyes closed when a kiss was placed on her head, pulling it down and locking it away in her heart forever. Kouske kisses were a treasure, and she did not plan on letting a single one go. Ever.

"We should get going," Kouske murmured into her hair a few moments later.

"Probably," Nana agreed. "What about all the clothes?"

"I doubled all the workers pay for their efforts and wrote down all the clothes we wanted to keep to be delivered later."

Nana twisted her head to look up at him. He pulled back, amused.

"You better not have written down everything I tried on. That's a lot of shit."

Kouske smiled. It was a small, fond quirk of the lips Nana rarely saw directed at anyone other than Natsuki. He brushed a finger along her cheek. "I like dressing you up."

"We should go to the restaurant," Nana said too loudly. There was only so much honesty she could take.

Kouske smirked and let her go.

"That should wrap up round one then," Natsuki clapped, accepting Snake's hand to help her up once he stood. "Would you like to know the points now or after dinner?"

"Uh, now," Nana made a 'duh' hand motion.

Snake tucked his book under his arm, offering his other to Natsuki. "Kouske, you earned twelve points."

"Ah, damn it," Nana kicked at the ground. Curse her easily flustered soul. Curse Snake too! He could read her better than anyone else, there was no hiding anything from him. A fluster was a fluster, even if she hid it well.

"Nana," Natsuki looked downright evil with the curl of her lips. "You earned ten points."

"_What?!_"

Kouske scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"_Ten_ points?!" Nana demanded, poking at him. "I saw three, _maybe_. When were the other seven? What was I doing? Why did it happen? Was I looking at you when they happened? What did I say?"

Natsuki and Snake watched Nana try to interrogate Kouske, whose face had turned into veritable stone, in amusement and exasperation.

"Shall we go ahead of them?" Natsuki offered.

"I understand their food is supposed to be top of the line, I would hate to miss it," Snake agreed. They walked out of the store, arm-in-arm, discussing their books and what to read next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY HEART!! This has got to be the cutest fricken thing I've ever written, oh my gooooossshhh. I was wiggling my toes the whole time! Thank you Meteor13, this made me giddy all day just thinking about it. I hope you liked it!
> 
> So far, Kouske is in the lead!


	10. Competition: The Plan (SNanaBari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Challenge: Nana has a PLAN and by god are they going to get it done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, these are just... bazooka launching out of my brain.
> 
> This scenario is thanks to stabmesenpai who asked that Nana be stressed/tired so they yell/demand something of Kouske. Who enjoys that. A lot. They also requested that Nana try to replicate this and go to Natsuki for advice, which will happen but it so perfectly aligned with another request that I'm going to tie those two together to further build this new skill Nana is working on. *eyebrow wiggle*

Nana's eyes snapped awake. He reached for his phone, quickly tapping the screen to stop it from vibrating. He squinted at the screen.

**Eleanora: **I am so sorry for bothering you while you are taking a break Nana but the Moretti Famiglia is causing problems again. I would have asked Beatrice but her son is sick and you know how Caterina is with things like this.

Nana groaned. He pushed himself up on his elbows, dislodging Snake's arm.

"Nana?" Snake was giving an odd-eyed blink, reaching out for him.

"Shh," Nana brushed his hair out of his face, kissing his forehead. "It's just Eleanora. Go back to sleep."

Snake's head dipped a bit but he shook it. "Are you leaving?"

"Just stepping outside for a second," he promised, rubbing Snake's back until he relaxed back into the mattress. "You'll barely even notice I'm gone."

"I always notice," he mumbled into the pillow.

Nana breathed out shakily. 2:46am was too early to be having these kinds of heart squeezes. He looked over at the other bed. It looked like both Natsuki and Kouske were asleep, which probably meant they were awake and listening carefully.

Great. Now all of them were being affected by the stupid fucking Moretti Famiglia. Gods, they weren't even a threat. They accepted everything easily, never really had a hand in the worst of the underbelly of the mafia, and honestly Nana could see themself becoming fond of them. Over time. A very long time.

They were so _whiny._ Jesus Christ Nana had never met people so dedicated to crying about things and he had raised _Lambo_. And it wasn't like he could just ignore them, that went against everything they had set up! Caterina was supposed to deal with any problem famiglias that popped up in Nana's absences but with her… personality she was more likely to burn the Moretti to the ground.

Not a great look for peaceful negotiations.

Nana scrubbed at his eyes, twisting his legs out of the bed. He took his phone with him out into the hall, leaving it cracked just a bit so he could get back in and so Natsuki and Kouske wouldn't have to get out of bed to hear him. If they were going to be woken up by these assholes Nana would make sure they at least got to be bothered from the comforts of their own covers.

Nana pulled up the by now very familiar number and pinched the bridge of his nose.

It was going to be a long night.

-00-

Nana was about to lose his god damn mind.

Fifteen times. _Fifteen times._ That was how many times he had been interrupted today. It had gotten so bad that Natsuki had promised to wait until everything was settled over in Italy before they moved on to the next competition.

_Nana had had a plan_. A plan that he had to twist, pull, and _scrape_ every last dreg of courage to even think about putting into action.

To many, it would sound simple. Nana, who was 155cm or five feet of pure _stress_, was going to steal a kiss. From Kouske.

Who was 6'2" but that was the smallest problem in this equation.

Kouske was a man of _observation_. You didn't just steal things from him without him knowing about it months in advance. It just didn't happen. Which meant Nana had to be methodical about it. Patient. It meant that Nana couldn't just rip it off like a bandaid to avoid the paralyzing anxiety of trying, oh no. He had to go in with every action _planned_.

Do you know how hard it is to take that kind of initiative against _Hibari Kouske_?! It was the singularly most traumatizing even in Nana's life and he hadn't even _done_ anything yet!

And you want to know why? Because the god damn Moretti family couldn't tell their head from their ass and had to call Nana to figure it out every single _fucking_ time Nana started to put his plans into action.

This was his vacation! This was his first vacation since Tsuna was born where he didn't have any kids to watch out for, or huge world-changing plans to put into action! And it wasn't just Nana's vacation they were ruining! Natsuki was putting off the competition. Which meant she was concerned. Natsuki. Concerned.

Unacceptable.

Kouske hadn't even teased Nana once today. He'd been very sweet and thoughtful and Nana wanted to bite the main Moretti wife's (whose name he couldn't even _think of_ without erupting into rage) heart just so she could know what it felt like to have to look at Kouske and see the slight downslope of his shoulders. Because he was disappointed, even a little _sad_ that their time together was getting thrown away by these- these- Aghh!

And Snake. _Snake._

Nana was a peace first kind of person but so help him God if he had to see the worried, stressed, _anxious_ lines on Snake's face one more time because he had to pull away (_pull away. _From _Snake)_ then he might actually go to Italy himself and just beat the shit out of the lot of them. With a bat. Covered in nails. Maybe he should just let Caterina shoot them.

Nana was feeling a little bit tense.

Which is why he was alone in their hotel room, hands tangled in his messy hair, hunched over in the adorable little armchair the owner said was modeled after some historical thing that had Snake's eyes all sparkly, and trying to scream his problems right out of his lungs.

Right. Okay. He was done with this. He was going to set the Moretti family straight, he was going to kiss the _fuck_ out of Kouske, and he was going to _enjoy his damn vacation._

Nana texted Natsuki, asking her to send Kouske to the room, _alone_, before calling the Moretti Famiglia Head.

"Nana!" he answered cheerfully.

"Right now," Nana said as calmly as he could, which really wasn't all that calm, "I am on vacation with the people I would very much like to spend the rest of my life with. I would like to hold hands, kiss, and have our own little adventures without you and your family interrupting so I would like to… request, right now, that whatever problems you have you find a way to solve yourselves because if you don't I will be having my dear friend Caterina Beccio handle your complaints and I assure you that all of the rumors you have heard are _true._"

And then Nana hung up.

Fuck, he probably just ruined one of the few easy wins they had.

The door clicked open and Kouske walked in, looking halfway between concerned and amused.

Fuck the Moretti Famiglia, is what Nana decided to stick with.

Nana stood up, walking towards Kouske swiftly. There couldn't be a build-up, not with how the day had gone. Kouske would notice immediately and become suspicious. It was now or never and Nana had enough rage-induced anxiety pushing him forwards that he knew he could-

"Room service," a cheery, chipper little voice called with a three-patterned knock on the door.

"Mother _fucker_!" Nana screamed, bypassing Kouske entirely.

The girl was short, only a little taller than Nana, and she seemed like the day couldn't be anything other than blue skies and sunshine.

"Go. The Fuck. Away," Nana growled in a way he would definitely feel bad about later. He snatched the food tray away (Nana hadn't even ordered any food, what the fuck) and tossed it on the side table as he slammed the door in the dumbstruck girl's face. Then he whirled on Kouske.

"Nana," Kouske reached out for them.

"No," Nana marched up to him, pushing him back. He shoved Kouske back until the man was forced down onto the chair. Nana crawled on top of him, sparking green as he pinned Kouske's arms to the chair.

Kouske didn't fight back. He didn't even try to pull away. He was staring at Nana with something in his eyes Nana didn't know how to place yet.

"I," Nana growled, leaning further and further into his space. "Am going to kiss you. You are going to be very surprised and we are both going to be very happy."

Nana tightened his grip a bit when he felt Kouske's hands move.

"No," he snapped again. "_You_ aren't going to do anything. This is _my_ surprise to you. So shut up and enjoy it."

And then Nana kissed him.

It was… very nice. The kind of nice that made you forget that bad things existed. The kind of nice that made your toes curl and your face flush and your whole heart leap into your mouth to join the fun. The kind of nice that made you forget you were supposed to be holding onto something until you kind of melted and the person you were holding down is suddenly holding you up and you are both very, _very_ happy with everything that is happening.

That kind of nice.

"I really… really like you," Nana panted, tangling his fingers even further into Kouske's hair and pressing their foreheads together like they were a book with a flower petal between the pages.

Kouske hummed, low in his throat down through his chest as he leaned forwards and kissed Nana again.

"If this is how your surprise kisses go then I can not wait for mine," Natsuki commented from the bed, cross-legged and watching with avid interest.

"Oh my god," Nana broke away, every second of the last however long they had been kissing hitting him hard enough to feel like a physical blow. "How long- how long have you been there?"

"A while," Natsuki smirked, stretching back to rest on her hands. "Snake is in the shower, we took a run to give you both some time for your little plan but I didn't realize quite how much time you needed."

"Stop, stop, stop," Nana wheezed, hiding himself away in Kouske's shoulder.

Kouske wrapped his arms around him, leaning back with a content little sigh. "Natsuki," he admonished.

"I'm sorry, love," she said, not looking sorry at all. "You didn't have to stop you know."

"_Natsuki," _Nana groaned, very much aware of the fact that his hair was even more of a mess, Kouske's buttons were _all _undone, and Nana was still very much on top of him.

"This was my turn," Kouske said, holding Nana a bit tighter.

"Yes, but this whole competition is all _your turn_," Natsuki pointed out. "I am greatly enjoying my time with Snake, of course, but isn't it a little unfair to keep all of Nana's kisses to yourself?"

"No," Kouske said simply, kissing Nana's forehead.

"Is Nana not supposed to kiss anyone else during all of this?" Snake stuck his head out from the bathroom, towel drying his hair looking warm, and rumpled, and adorable. He brushed his fingers over his forehead. "I got one last night."

"Now it's unfair," Natsuki had a fox-like grin as she caught Nana's eye peeking out. "Everyone gets a kiss but me Nana?"

"N-no," Nana sat up, still feeling embarrassed but now more worried that Natsuki might actually think he was avoiding her. "That's not-."

"I know, Dove, don't worry," Natsuki softened. "I am a patient person, I can wait." Her grin sharpened, eyes bright. "The longer I wait the higher my expectations will be though."

Nana jumped out of Kouske's hold, batting at his hands when he tried to pull him back, and rushed past Snake into the shower. Both Snake's and Natsuki's chuckles echoed through the door as Kouske complained.

"You're at fifteen points now Dove," Natsuki called.

"Kouske is at fourteen," Snake chimed in.

Nana sunk to the floor, clutching at his heart.

Holy shit.

What had he gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *eyebrow wiggle*


	11. Missing Shirts (SNanaBari)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Challenge: Who can take out the most targets?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm all blushy. I don't have a lot of experience writing da shemxy things but my god can my brain imagine it. This is what you all have done to me. You've turned my brain into a garbage can. Blame yourselves for this. XD
> 
> By the by, as I'm sure you've noticed, these competitions are super Nana X Kouske centered. Cause they're the competitors, clearly. For those of you lovelies who are sending me scenarios for Nana to try out just know that it's totally cool if you tag on anything you'd like to see for the other two as well. I'm building Nana and Kouske the most because with how they have gotten to know each other being open and honest is harder for them. And the harder something is the more fun it is to approach :p
> 
> This request is from PanelinhaDePressao! This darling little beam of sunshine asked that Nana try out some of Kouske or Natsuki's clothes (hint: it's both) as well as do something badass. Hope you like it!

"Hello?" Nana tried not to sound too unhappy. She'd just gotten_ off_ the phone with the airline after they lost her luggage she didn't want to get back _on._

"Ciao, cara mia," Caterina chirped back, the very last person she wanted to hear from when she was trying to avoid work. "You sound rather frustrated."

"Shut it," Nana rubbed her temple. Kouske and Snake were out grabbing food, it was Snake's turn to pick the movie they watched so he got to pick the food as well, and Natsuki was in the shower. "I really hope you're not calling me for more work."

"Well," she said, slowly and with glee, "not _mandatory_ work. You don't have to."

Ugh, that meant she had to.

"What is it?"

Caterina happily told her about the Reccino Famiglia, how they had been caught trying to kidnap kids off the street to make up for their loss in sales once Beatrice and Michelle had closed down their side business of slavery, the plans to capture them, then the subsequent realization that the head of the family, as well as his innermost circle, had left most of the women and all of the children behind as bait (and to take the fall) while they escaped out of the country the night before.

"I would happily take care of this myself," Caterina said as demurely as ever, "but considering how close you are I thought you might want to handle this one yourself."

"How close I am?" Nana clenched and unclenched her fist. She knew they would try something, it was why she told Caterina to watch them, but she hadn't thought they'd so brazenly try to just- just _take_ kids off the streets.

"You are in that lovely little mountain town in Italy yes? That little luck of yours just so happens to put you in the same place as our little escapees."

Nana frowned. She didn't have any bugs on her at the moment, she always checked before and after she got on a plane after that one time, and there was no way it was because of her luggage because all of her luggage had been left behind at the last airport.

"Who told you where I was?"

"You little cucciolo," Caterina sounded far too pleased.

Nana sighed. "Why were you talking to my son?"

"He simply wanted to make sure you were actually taking a break and not secretly trying to dismantle a society without him worrying about it. Such a darling."

"He is," Nana agreed strongly, even if she really didn't want Tsuna and Caterina talking. She shivered at the thought. "Send me the address."

"Already done. Enjoy your vacation while it lasts, cara mia, there will be much to do when you return."

Nana rolled her eyes and hung up.

"You should invite Kouske," Natsuki stepped out of the bathroom, steam billowing behind her. Nana wasn't even surprised that she had been eavesdropping. Her robe was tied loosely enough that Nana refused to look at her as she towel-dried her hair.

"He does enjoy beating people up," Nana agreed, looking at the screen of her phone even though it was still off.

"Hm, you should change as well," Natsuki unzipped one of the bags on the bed, rifling through it.

Nana tugged at the hem of her shirt, trying very hard to not watch as Natsuki walked around. "What I have on now should be fine, I don't mind a few wrinkles. All my clothes will be dropped off at some point tomorrow anyway."

Natsuki's steps were abnormally silent, Nana had to keep glancing over to track where she was. As soon as she had a bundle of clothes in her arms Natsuki glided over to stand in front of Nana.

"I'm good," Nana wheezed, staring at her feet (which was connected to very nice, very distracting legs).

"Nana," Natsuki placed a hand on her shoulder. "I thought you wanted to win?"

Nana looked up at her, breath stuttering when she saw the razor-sharp smile and the low lidded eyes. "W-will, um, will changing clothes help me… help me with that?"

"Yes," Natsuki said simply, her hand trailing from Nana's shoulder to the back of her neck. She pulled on it, gently guiding Nana to stand up.

Nana was a full-grown adult so she didn't really need help changing her clothes. She did not mention this to the dangerously attractive woman leading her into the bathroom. If Natsuki wanted to help then who was Nana to say no?

-00-

The steps to take were simple.

Go to location- easy. It was a twenty-minute walk from the hotel.

Locate the Reccino bastards- done. The building looked abandoned but the idiots must have thought they had really got away scot-free because she could hear them laughing. Fucking idiots.

Show off- not a challenge. Usually. Nana had left before Kouske and Snake got back, texting Kouske to meet her before the sun went all the way down. He would be there any minute and all Nana had to do, according to Natsuki, was beat up people in front of him. Specifically with a lot of kicking.

Nana was good at kicking. That was a thing she could do.

Natsuki's shorts were… short. Kouske's shirt was long. Natsuki had insisted on the top two _as well as_ the bottom _three_ buttons being undone. At the time Nana had not cared about those details at all because there were far more important details to be focusing on (Natsuki was like a fucking heater, good lord, it just rolled off of her in _waves_). Nana's brain had been sufficiently turned to goop so she hadn't cared on the walk over either. She had practically floated here, like a little cloud that was full of sunshine and rainbows. And hummingbirds, cause of the heart.

Then Kouske turned the corner. And he stopped.

And he _stared._

Then Nana cared a bit.

"I didn't steal your shirt!" Nana blurted. "Natsuki gave it to me!"

He was still too far away to see any of the facial twitches Nana had come to rely on for reading his mood, but she could clearly see the very slow blink.

Nana took all of the nerves that had sprouted like the most annoying kind of weeds and shoved them into her arm as she violently pointed at the building across the street. "There are people in there." She paused. "...I'm going to beat them up."

The silence was long. Long enough that Nana wondered how weird it would be if she just… started singing. Because she was nervous and Lavina had proven that bursting out into song was rarely ever the wrong choice (but what if this was one of those rare times?).

Kouske blinked again, eyes barely even glancing at the building before he approached her. Nana jumped a bit, goosebumps erupting across her skin in waves when his fingers brushed over her neck.

Kouske was methodical as he buttoned up the shirt. He was still blinking really slowly but he wasn't making fun of her. This was that thing Natsuki mentioned the other day, right? That he didn't always do the blink thing when he was irritated?

Kouske finished the buttons. He looked at her legs and frowned.

Nana shuffled her feet a bit.

"It's fine," he assured her, taking her wrist and slipping off the hairband she always carried with her. He walked around her and Nana tried not to swallow too noticeably when he watched her from the corner of his eye the entire time.

Kouske reached around, trailing his fingers across her forehead as he brushed all of her hair back for her. He pulled it up into a simple ponytail, being extra sure to tuck in that one particularly stubborn strand that always hung out on the back of her neck.

The plan. Stick to the plan. Natsuki knew what she was talking about when it came to Kouske so Nana just had to… had to take her nerves and smush them. The look had clearly affected him, even if Nana couldn't place exactly how strongly or in what way, exactly. Not a bad one, he would have said something. Right?

Right, he never failed to comment on her fashion when he thought she looked like an unnatural disaster.

Natsuki said kicking. Show of the legs. Nana was very proud of her legs. She didn't feel embarrassed showing them off, but the thought of showing off in front of _Kouske_ with that kind of intention made her a little… wobbly.

"Well?" Kouske was back in front of her, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Um," Nana said as intelligently as ever. She probably couldn't do this. Not with the knowledge that the entire time she would be fighting Kouske would just be standing there looking at her. "Do you want to fight with me?"

That must have been the right thing to say because Kouske's eyes did that thing where they got bright. Like, really bright. So bright the grey of his iris almost looked blue.

Nana felt a lot better about this choice. She grinned at him, elated when he returned it. Her skin felt staticy in her excitement and it wasn't from her Flames.

"Let's go then!" she bounced on her feet. "Wanna make it a competition?"

"The rules?" he smirked which meant he was already in.

"We can't use our hands, only our legs," Nana made sure to keep that part of Natsuki's advice in play. She didn't know what Natsuki wanted in return for so much information but she knew that it was something she really shouldn't think about now right before a fight.

Kouske looked thoughtful. He shrugged off his coat.

"Turn around."

"Uh, okay?"

Nana wasn't sure how she felt about him using his jacket to tie her arms behind her back.

"Okay asshole, then what exactly are you going to use, huh? If you think- ahm. Hm."

Kouske had his shirt off. He had his shirt off which was far more impressive than the fact that he was somehow managing to tie up his own hands without any assistance.

"You, ah, you can't do that," Nana said as plainly as she could.

Kouske finished tying the knot with some very impressive finger dexterity. He raised an eyebrow.

"It's cheating," Nana clarified.

He looked confused for all of a second before it morphed into a very assholish, very _distracting_ smirk. He stepped right into Nana's space with a confidence Nana couldn't even fault him for because if she had shoulder's and abs like that then fucking hell she would walk around without a shirt all the god damn time! Those were things the world deserved to see!

"Now we're even," was what he said. With a voice that was too low to be a casual statement.

"Most knock-outs wins," Nana tried very, very hard not to stare at the pure muscle in front of her face and she failed. Horribly.

"The Stakes?" Kouske asked, still very quiet and deep enough to drown. He had bent down a little so now Nana was eye level with a collarbone so perfectly defined she felt compelled to touch it. Luckily (fuck luck, she wanted to _touch_) her hands were tied.

"The stakes," Nana repeated, licking her lips. She felt the hair on her arms and neck rise when he tilted his head, following the motion with interest. "A f-favor. One thing asked, anything."

"Anything," he drew the word out. Nana took a deep breath through her nose when he stepped back. "Deal."

Nana blinked. He was gone.

"You cheating piece of-!" she charged for the building.

There were thirteen people in the building. Two of them had already been taken down when Nana crashed through the side window since Kouske had clearly taken the door. She had caught the two men and a woman by surprise in the hallway. Kouske had turned the corner when they tried to shoot at her (the fear in their eyes when the bullets reflected off her skin was hilarious), just a little bit too late to stop Nana from split kicking two of them and kicking the third into the wall.

"Ha!" Nana cheered, bouncing on the tips of her toes. "Three to two, my lead!"

Kouske looked her right in the eye as he kicked straight through the wall on his left. There was a choked off yelp as whoever he hit lost consciousness.

Nana, not to be outdone, also kicked through the wall. She didn't hit anyone at first but when she dragged her leg down the wall, hopping along with it, she caught someone in the side.

Kouske seemed torn between exasperation and interest. Nana wondered about the interest part until he looked pointedly at her legs.

Nana flushed and threw her entire body into the wall, chasing after whoever she had hit.

They traded points back and forth. Nana fell behind for a moment when she had to strangle the huge buff guy on the second floor with her thighs (Kyoya's old lessons about pressure and weight differences still held strong) but Kouske had stopped to watch when he passed by so she was able to catch up. She almost missed the Reccino Famiglia head running down into the basement when Kouske ducked under the second to last man's punch, using his shoulder to flip him over and onto the ground. The muscles along his back had rippled very nicely in the light of the sunset streaming through the window.

They were tied. Nana had complete faith in her speed, even against a beast like Kouske (she had trained hard to bypass him and she refused to let that go) but that still didn't explain why it took him so long to join her in the basement.

Nana squinted at him, standing on top of bruised and bloody Famiglia head. "You knew he was down here."

"Of course."

Nana scowled. She glanced down to make sure the man truly was unconscious before stepping away. "Did you let me win? Cause I would have won anyway, I'm way faster than you."

Kouske rolled his eyes. "For now."

Nana walked up to him, grumpy. "Why didn't you even try? It's no fun if you give up."

He was in her space again, staring down at her with half-lidded eyes. "I was curious."

Nana gulped. She stood her ground even though the large open room suddenly felt a lot warmer. "About what?"

Kouske blinked slowly, eyes bright but expression relaxed. "About what you would ask for."

That was… something. That made her feel things deep in her stomach all the way to her toes. She didn't even have anything in mind but his interested gaze made her route around for something that could possibly match his expectations. He bent down again, crowding into her space, and her eyes caught once again on the bones at the base of his throat.

"I want to touch you," Nana word barfed. She closed her eyes, scrunching up her face.

Kouske leaned back, eyes wide.

"N-not like that!" Nana rushed to explain. "D-don't- I didn't mean- stop looking at me like that, that isn't what I meant!"

His lips twitched.

"Shut up!" Nana could feel how red her face was. "This place is disgusting and there's a dude like, right there! Who would want to- to- _here_?! You'd catch some kind of nasty disease!"

"Mh," Kouske nodded in agreement. Which did not match his actions _at all_ because now he was back in Nana's space but somehow even closer than before. "What did you mean then?"

Nana slipped her hands out of the knotted jacket, she'd been working on it as soon as the Famiglia Head was down. She poked him in the chest to stop his advance, strictly not thinking about the touch. Not yet.

"Your, um, your collar bone," she glanced away. "It's… weirdly perfect. I wanted to know what it felt like."

Oh god, she sounded like such a weirdo. Who even says things like that? 'I want to touch your collarbone', who does that?

Kouske pressed against the finger still holding him back. "You won," he reminded her.

"I-I did win," Nana steeled her nerves. So what if it was a weird thing to ask? The rule was the winner could ask for anything. "So just… I don't know. Stand there for a second?"

Kouske smirked. "Just a second?"

"Shut it," Nana pulled her hand back. She reached out, stopping an inch away. She shifted on her feet.

Kouske watched her like a hawk, his eyes nearly glowing from how bright they were.

"Can you… not watch me?" Nana murmured.

He actually looked a bit disappointed but he acquiesced. Just to be safe Nana tugged at his shoulder until he bent his knees so she could cover his eyes with her right hand. His nose twitched under her palm, breathing out sharply.

"This okay?" Nana checked.

He nodded.

Without the pressure of being watched Nana looked at his neck. She poked the little divot between his collarbone, brushing the rounded part of the bone there. She pulled back quickly when his entire neck tensed.

"Still good?" she worried.

"Yes," he said again, tenser this time.

"Are you sure? You sound-"

"Nana," he interrupted. "It felt nice."

"Oh," she stood on her toes, skin prickling. That was… that was very good to know.

Nana touched the same spot again, splaying out three of her fingers this time. It was as solid as it looked. Smooth. The heat took her by surprise. He hadn't been sweating but his skin was warmed like after a workout. Did he run hot like Natsuki did? She'd never noticed before though.

Kouske's neck tensed again. Instead of pulling away, Nana followed the tension up his neck, barely brushing the two most prominent tendons trailing down the sides.

This was kind of fun. Kouske seemed to guess when and where she would touch but if she changed up the timing and the pressure she could sometimes catch him off guard. Like when she ran her hand over his shoulder, clearly leading towards his biceps before pulling away and splaying her entire hand over his stomach.

"That's not my collarbone," he muttered, leaning into her hand.

"Nope," she chirped shakily.

This was a lot of fun. Especially since she could tell when he tugged at his arms. They were still tied by his shirt. Nana wondered…

Brushing her thumb over his hip, pressing her hand tighter over his eyes, she stretched up and kissed to divot at his neck.

Kouske's shirt tore so loudly it made Nana jump. She pulled back, trembling from the built-up tension.

"You- you ruined your shirt," she breathed, shaky and soft.

Kouske looked at his wrists where the fabric was falling apart. "I have others."

His eyes were back and with it flew Nana's brazen courage. "W-we should probably get back soon."

"You're done?" he loomed over her, warmer than before.

"F-for now," she tangled her fingers together, looking away.

Kouske was silent for a long moment. He breathed deeply through his nose, holding for a moment before letting it out.

"What about… these?" he looked at the passed out man on the other side of the room.

"I'll call Caterina," Nana looked up at him. "Can we hold hands on the way back?"

Kouske grabbed his jacket off the floor, patting out the dust and slipping it on. He held out his hand.

Nana took it happily. "You're really warm."

"It's a warm day."

Nana swung their hands in the air, a spring in her step. She was still red, she doubted that would go away any time soon, but she was thrilled. She had been open with Kouske, taking a step forward unprompted. It felt fucking amazing.

Natsuki and Snake were watching an action movie of some sort, an open box of chocolates between them. Snake was redder than Nana had ever seen him.

"Oh my god," she gasped, pointing at him accusingly. "Did you peek?!"

"N-not intentionally," he looked away. "You were both late and not responding to my texts. I merely wanted to make sure you were safe and-"

"You peeked!" Nana felt herself turning equally as red which fucking sucked because she had just returned to a normal temperature. "When? What part?!"

Snake refused to look at her. Natsuki, who had no such issues, happily tapped a long finger against her collar bone with a smirk.

"You _told_ her?!" Nana felt very much like a helium balloon.

"I-I'm sorry," Snake sounded genuinely contrite. "I was… rather surprised and when she asked what was wrong I answered without fully realizing what I was saying."

Damn it. She couldn't get mad at him for _that_. Snake had spent decades automatically answering all of the questions Nana threw at him, of course he would blurt it out without a second thought.

"I'm not mad," Nana said, probably sounding a bit mad because of the tension in her voice. She softened it by walking over and draping herself over his back in a hug. "Just embarrassed. You know why."

Snake nodded. He had not looked at Kouske since they had arrived. Nana patted his head in solidarity.

"Did you _see_ the shirt thing?" Nana whispered into his shoulder, still in awe over it.

Snake coughed. Cleared his throat. Nodded.

Natsuki made a very low, appreciative hum in the back of her throat. The three of them turned their heads to Kouske who was still at the door.

He frowned at them curiously, pulling a towel out of his bag. "...What."

"Just enjoying the view love," Natsuki smiled lazily.

Kouske's jaw twitched just a bit. He rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom for a shower.

Nana giggled a bit. "That was cute."

Natsuki agreed, pulling Nana onto the bed to join them in eating what had to be their third box of chocolates (she could see the empty containers on the other side of the bed from here).

When Kouske got out the credits were just starting to roll. Natsuki shooed Snake off the bed, claiming Nana as her sleeping partner for the night.

"Make sure you hug him," Nana lectured Kouske, settling happily into Natsuki's side under the blankets. "He doesn't sleep well if he can't tell you're there."

"_Nana_," Snake hissed, scandalized. "Please, don't listen to them-"

"It's fine," Kouske slid into his side of the other bed, tapping on his phone to put it on vibrate before stuffing it under his pillow.

"Kouske gives wonderful hugs," Natsuki told Snake, curling around Nana.

"He really does," Nana agreed. "His shoulders are huge so it feels like a really comfy blanket. And you're scrawny as heck so it'll be like two times the hug!"

Kouske rolled his eyes. His jaw twitched.

"That counts as a point right?" Nana looked up at Natsuki.

"Of course Dove. You are both tied at seventeen now."

Nana frowned. That didn't seem right. "Only seventeen? I feel like a lot of things happened today that would make that number higher."

"If the judges are not there to see it, it does not count," Snake stiffly got into bed. "Hibari Kouske, you don't need to-"

"Sleep," Kouske threw an arm over Snake's stomach.

Snake opened his mouth. Closed it. Stared at the ceiling.

Natsuki turned off the table light, burying her face in Nana's hair. Nana kept her eyes open, watching Snake carefully.

"Hey," she whispered even though everyone was still clearly awake.

Snake looked at her. The beds were close enough that when she stretched out her hand he could reach back and take it.

Snake held her hand for a long moment.

"_You were very brave today," _he said into her head, his lips unmoving. Nana nestled deeper into her pillow. "_I could tell you have been overwhelmingly nervous several times on this trip. Pushing past that, I think that is very brave."_

Nana tried not to let any of her sadness show on her face. The soft smile on Snake's meant he saw it anyway. Snake was always nervous. As more and more of the emptiness in his eyes faded over each day it was equally replaced with uncertainty. And fear.

"_Goodnight, Nana," _Snake squeezed her hand, letting go. He looked down at Kouske's arm.

Nana swallowed, blinking rapidly when he closed his eyes and relaxed. She watched him, waiting. It took a long while. A full hour had passed before the last line of tension in his shoulders relaxed.

He was asleep.

Nana grinned so wide it hurt. She turned in Natsuki's arms so she could hug her, resting her head on her shoulder.

"You love him very much," Natsuki said softly, shifting so they were both more comfortable.

"With all my heart and soul," Nana whispered back.

"Hm," Natsuki rested her chin on Nana's head, looking over at the other bed. "I can see why."

"Yeah?"

Natsuki played with Nana's hair until she melted into sleep.

Snake was like Nana. He was like Kouske. He had a heart that was unbreakable, a strength of kindness hard to hold on to but he never lacked. She knew how rare it was to find people like this and she had three of them in the same room. She felt a bit like a dragon, hoarding her treasure away from the world for herself alone.

She didn't mind the analogy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gah. Geh. Gah! The tension. The sweet, sweet tension. Again, I'm not very experienced with writing physically romantic scenes, it's why I'm a big follower of the slow burn in my writing, so if there was a particular moment that drew you out of the experience before you were supposed to be let me know. Constructive criticism is a building block to a better story!


	12. Pick-Up Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Challenge: Each competitor offers their best pick-up line
> 
> Rules: The Judges give individual scores for each line based completely off of bias and enjoyment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has given me so many good lines. I researched far more than shows up in here and let me tell you I am prepared for almost any event now. You have given me weapons in the form of words!
> 
> This challenge is from the darling Mel Writer (from ffn). They requested an exchange of horrible, cringe-worthy flirtatious lines with eyebrow wiggles (which are denied as cheating and blatantly ignored by the judges). So, it is a pick-up line competition!

"I'm in the mood for pizza," Nana twittered, twirling his hair as dramatically as possible.

Kouske didn't even look up.

"A _piece-of _you."

"Four," Snake called dully, dunking his feet in the river.

"Two," Natsuki chimed in. She adjusted her sunglasses as she sunbathed on the large smooth rock. "You've used quite a few food lines, Dove."

Nana clicked his tongue.

"You will never pay back your debt at this rate," Kouske fiddled with the camera, making sure everything was set correctly. He wasn't big on taking pictures but Nana had insisted. "My interest keeps rising."

"Hm," Snake kicked his foot. "Six."

"Four, he stole that one from Michelle."

Nana bit at his thumb, thinking. "...You must be a campfire." Nana touched his shoulder, fluttering his eyelids. "Cause you're super hot and I want s'more."

Kouske actually paused on that one. His lip twitched.

"Eight," Natsuki laughed lightly. "That was cute."

"Three, too cheesy," Snake rolled his eyes.

Nana cursed. He had thought Snake would be more on his side for this one but he should have known. Snake judged Nana's propensity for bullshit more than anyone else, of course he'd have higher standards. At least he was ahead in points thanks to Natsuki. She seemed genuinely delighted by the pick-up lines Nana had offered.

Kouske stood up, setting the camera to the side carefully. He loomed over Nana. Now that the score was tipped so far away from him he seemed ready to take this a bit more seriously.

"I did not realize you knew magic," Kouske tilts his head. "How is it, exactly, that you make everything else disappear when I look at you."

Nana felt like he'd been punched. Fuck. That had been a good one.

"Nine," Snake looked over, impressed.

"Nine," Natsuki agreed, rolling onto her stomach and resting her chin on her arms. Even with her sunglasses on Nana could tell she was amused.

Kouske raised his chin in smug challenge.

"You must be made of cheese," Nana blurted out like a textbook idiot. He closed his eyes, scrunching up his nose.

"Nana," Snake sighed.

It was too late, he'd started the line. He had to finish it.

"Cause you're… looking Gouda…"

Kill him. Kill him now.

"_One_," Snake emphasized, "and only because zero is not an option."

"Ten," Natsuki trilled out a delighted laugh.

Snake sent her a _look_. "You are spoiling them."

Natsuki smiled. "I'm being honest Snake. It made us laugh."

Nana frowned. Us? He looked up at Kouske only to see the man staring resolutely out over the river. His lips were pressed together tightly.

Nana grinned. "I'm winning~"

Kouske's eyes snapped to him, narrowing at the mocking lilt in Nana's voice. He stepped forwards, ever closer, and lifted a strand of Nana's hair. "You once said nothing lasts forever."

Nana shivered at the deepness in his voice. He tried to play it off as a sudden chill since the sun had just disappeared behind some clouds.

"If that is the case," Kouske lowered his head, kissing the strand of hair like it was the back of a hand, "will you be my nothing?"

Nana flushed to the tips of his ears. "...You suck."

Kouske smirked, pressing another light kiss before allowing Nana's hair to slip gently through his fingers.

"Seven," Natsuki offered.

"...Ten," Snake whispered, staring at his reflection as he moved his feet.

Nana sent him a knowing look, heart melting. Kouske's words had matched eerily close to their promise.

"Hey," he skipped over, draping himself over Snake's back and pressing their cheeks together. "You're pretty."

Snake blinked at him, bewildered.

"I'm cute," Nana grinned, pointing at himself. "Together, we're pretty cute."

"Eight," Natsuki rolled a bit to look at them.

"Three." Snake was frowning but there was red in his cheeks. "You are supposed to be competing with Hibari Kouske."

"We're _trading_ lines," Nana corrected him, hugging him tighter and mushing their cheeks together enough to make him huff. "We never said who they were directed towards."

Snake rolled his eyes. Nana puffed up in pride when his lips curled.

"Ah, it was your smile," Kouske sat down on Snake's other side suddenly, startling them. "I thought the sun had come out."

"Ten," Natsuki stood up, disappearing from view as she walked behind them.

Snake looked at his feet again, red growing in his cheeks like a flower. "...Nine."

Nana kind of wanted to curse because he was about to fall behind now, but this was too good of a chance to pass up.

"I'm not a genie," Nana shifted so that he was on Snake's free side, pressing their knees together. "But I can still make your wishes come true."

"Three," Snake knocked his knee back, still staring at the water.

"Four," Natsuki said somewhere behind them. Nana had a guess as to what she was doing. He couldn't wait to look through the pictures later.

"What are your other two wishes?" Kouske asked, pulling off his shoes and socks so he could let his own feet sink into the chilled water. "Now that I'm here."

"Booo," Nana bumped his shoulder into Snakes as he peered around to stick his tongue out at Kouske. "Self-flattery!"

"Three," Natsuki seemed to agree.

"Six," Snake shook his head, relaxing a bit with the teasing. "It was a clever tie to your own line."

Nana flipped Kouske off over Snake's shoulder when he smirked.

"Fine, fine. Hmmm," Nana tapped his chin. "Whoever said Disney World is the happiest place on earth has clearly never stood next to you."

"Nine, very cute Nana."

"Seven," Snake allowed, glancing at him from the corner of his eye.

"There appears to be something wrong with my eyes," Kouske said, leaning his forearms on his knees. "I can't seem to take them off of you."

"Four," Snake stared at his feet again. "Very cheesy."

"Seven, for honesty."

Snake twisted to stare at Natsuki. She smiled behind the camera in her hands.

"Here, quick," Nana threw his arm out across Snake's chest. "I need you to grab my arm so I can tell everyone I got touched by an angel."

"How was heaven, last time you were there?" Kouske shot back immediately.

"Six for both," Natsuki said.

"Three," Snake hunched over, spots of red reaching the back of his neck now. "For both. Angel references are overused."

"Classics are good!" Nana argued. "It's why you're my favorite."

"One," Natsuki laughed. "You are calling him old, Nana."

"He is old."

"One," Snake deadpanned.

"Rejection," Kouske said suddenly, the word pulled long and slow like he was preparing for a lecture, "can lead to emotional stress for both parties. Emotional stress can lead to physical problems such as headaches, ulcers, nausea, and in some cases death. For the sake of both of us, it would be best if you said yes."

"Oh. My god," Nana flopped back onto the ground, laughing. "You are such a fricken _nerd!"_

"Eight," Snake was smiling. He was a sucker for factually accurate anything.

"Five," Natsuki appeared at Kouske's side, sitting down and leaning into him. Kouske lifted his arm, hugging her to him easily.

Nana layed there, under the sun, in silence for a few moments. Taking a hike had been a great idea. It was so warm and the water felt so cool. Natsuki was clearly enjoying herself and Kouske had been holding in a laugh a few times! Snake was smiling and all blushy, which made Nana giddy.

Natsuki leaned back a bit, tugging her sunglasses to the tip of her nose so she could look down at Nana with a wink.

"Hey!" Nana sat up. "I just noticed you noticing me and I wanted to give you notice that I noticed you too!"

Natsuki laughed. "Eight."

"Three," Snake nudged Nana's leg. "Long-winded and potentially confusing."

Nana nudged him back.

"It's not my fault I fell in love with you," Kouske looked down at Natsuki, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "You are the one tripped me."

Natsuki leaned into the touch before stretching up to kiss the underside of his jaw. "Guilty as charged. Eight."

"Six."

Nana sat up, propping her chin up with the palm of her hand. "Dang. I'm starting to run out. Um, oh! Hey, Kouske."

He looked over.

"I heard your beauty inspired a new artistic movement called 'perfectionism'."

Snake snorted. "Five."

"Five."

Kouske took a minute to get his ready. Which was good, hopefully it meant he was running out too. He had jumped ahead of Nana already so they needed to think of some really good ones before they finished.

"Kissing is a language of love," Kouske said slowly, looking down at Nana. "I'd like to have another conversation with you."

Nana breathed out in a way that made him sound like an asthmatic pug who had just run a mile. They were going there now, were they?

"Ten," Natsuki said with a twist in her voice that made Nana feel like the sun was burning straight through his lungs.

"Ten," Snake agreed. "Very romantic and drawing on a shared memory."

Ah shit, Kouske was so far ahead now.

Nana sat up, clearing his throat. If he wanted even a chance at winning this he couldn't shy away.

"Your lips always look so lonely," Nana stared at his cheekbones, "would they like to meet mine?"

"Precious. Nine."

"Eight."

Kouske leaned back on his free hand, angling so he could see them better. He stared at Nana for a long moment before frowning.

"Kouske?" Nana said, concerned.

"Apologies," Kouske blinked. "You were so beautiful that I forgot my line."

"God damn," Nana whistled. He scooped up some water and ducked so he could toss it on his neck.

"Ten," Snake said, holding Nana's hair back for him.

"Ten," Natsuki agreed.

"Shit," Nana cursed. "Um, I'm on top of things right now. Would you like to be one of those things?"

Kouske blinked. His eyebrows raised. He smirked.

"You seem to be feeling down Nana," he drawled, "if you'd like I can feel you up."

Nana clenched his hands together tight enough to turn his knuckles white. That was cheesy. Super cheesy. His heart was literally beating the shit out of his lungs right now.

Go big! Go big or go home!

Nana took in a big, shaky breath.

"Y-you're very selfish. You get to have that body all day, I only want it for a few hours at night."

"Oh~" Kouske's eyelids fell halfway. "Hours? I'd give you a week."

Nana puffed up his cheeks, blowing out air harshly. This was getting progressively more difficult. How as he supposed to match _that_.

Kouske was still staring at him. Nana floundered for something equally as good. Slowly Kouske reached out, placing a heavy hand on Nana's shoulder (brushing Snake's back as he did so).

Nana froze, wide-eyed.

Kouske looked dead serious.

He wiggled his eyebrows.

Nana snorted so hard he started to choke.

"Pft-hrk-eeeekekeke," Nana rolled away, holding his stomach. Kouske didn't _do_ eyebrow wiggles, not that Nana had ever seen. But he'd managed it and he did it with such fine control that it actually looked like two little caterpillars doing the wave. "Ch-cheeats! CHE-eAts!"

"How did he cheat?" Snake turned his head back and forth, trying to see them better.

"Eee-yebrows," Nana struggled. Kouske wiggled his eyebrows again, setting Nana off even worse than before.

"What about his eyebrows, Dove?" Natsuki smirked.

"Cheattts!"

"I do believe Kouske has won this particular competition," Snake huffed, patting Nana's knee when he squealed again.

Natsuki chuckled in agreement. She kissed Kouske, twice on the cheek and once on his lips to congratulate him. "It's almost time for lunch. Shall we?"

"Yes," Snake hopped up, shaking out his feet. The little droplets of water rained down on the rocks around him, darkening the spots they hit. "Join us when you can breath again Nana."

Nana gave him a shaky thumbs-up, cackling.

Kouske stood up as well, looking down at Nana with a pleased, smug expression. He followed the other two to help prepare the food they had brought.

Nana had definitely lost this round, but by the time he had calmed down enough to eat with the others he knew he didn't actually mind it. It had been fun.

Even when Kouske wiggled his eyebrows at them every time Snake and Natsuki's backs were turned.

What a brat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was cute. I loved writing that, thanks for the idea Mel! I hope you liked it!
> 
> Hey, you. Lovelies. Have some more lines. Take them. I have too many! When I reply to comments next time I'll drop some more lines on you, I have so many good ones (and silly ones. and... *eyebrow wiggles* ones.)


End file.
